Luke Air Force Base sits in Glendale, Arizona and was listed on the Superfund National Priorities List in 1990 because of soil and groundwater contamination from past waste disposal and discharge practices. The EPA removed the base from the list in 2002 after completing cleanup activities, but hazardous substances remain above levels that would allow unlimited use and unrestricted exposure. The site continues to be reviewed every five years to make sure cleanup remains protective. The most recent five-year review was completed in September 2022, and the next is estimated between September and November 2027.
Contaminants of concern at the site include volatile organic compounds such as benzene, 1,1-dichloroethene, and 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane, as well as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons like benzo(a)pyrene, naphthalene, and pyrene. These were found in soil across multiple operable units. Since 2015, the Air Force has also been investigating per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, linked to aqueous film-forming foam, a firefighting foam used on and around the base. Sampling found PFAS above the 2016 EPA Lifetime Health Advisory level in three private drinking water wells and three Valley Utilities Water Company wells. The Air Force provided bottled water to affected properties and is installing treatment systems.
The site is divided into multiple operable units. Two completed their remedial action and operation and maintenance phases by April 2002. A third operable unit has remedial action work continuing through 2025. A fourth operable unit focused on PFAS began its remedial investigation in February 2021 and has not yet had a formal cleanup decision document issued. Several locations, including the Oil/Water Separator Canal and Bulk Fuels Storage Area, have been approved for no further action with unrestricted use allowed. Other areas such as the Drainage Ditch Disposal Area and North Fire Training Area remain under institutional controls limiting land use to non-residential purposes.
EPA's 2023 protectiveness determination found that cleanup remedies are protective in the short term. However, long-term protectiveness requires identifying and controlling PFAS exposure pathways through future selected remedies. Groundwater migration is under control and contamination is stabilized, but human exposure status has not yet been fully determined due to insufficient data. The base is expected to remain an active Air Force installation, and institutional controls are in place to prevent incompatible land uses such as residential development.
Community members with questions can contact EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or the Remedial Project Manager. For state-related questions, contact the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. The Air Force also has a designated point of contact for the site.
