EPA Report Warns Brunswick Landing Superfund Site at Flood Risk

The EPA's internal watchdog has flagged Brunswick Landing as one of the nation's Superfund sites at measurable risk from flooding and sea level rise, a finding that carries direct consequences for anyone living near the Androscoggin River, Harpswell Cove, or the former naval base itself.

The EPA's Office of Inspector General released two reports on March 25 as part of a three-part series examining climate-related threats to federal Superfund sites. Together, the reports identified 49 coastal military facilities at risk from sea level rise or storm surge and 42 at risk from inland flooding, out of 157 federal facility Superfund sites on the National Priorities List. Brunswick Landing, the redeveloped former Brunswick Naval Air Station that has carried Superfund status since 1987, appeared among the flagged sites.

The concern is not abstract. In August 2024, a malfunctioning fire suppression system in Hangar 4 released 5,500 liters of PFAS-based aqueous film-forming foam. The contaminated mixture traveled through stormwater drains and ponds, reached Harpswell Cove, and entered the sanitary sewer system that discharges to the Androscoggin River. Shellfish beds in Harpswell Cove faced contamination risks. The Brunswick and Topsham Water District's lower well field recorded PFAS levels averaging twice Maine's interim drinking water standard. The Navy has spent more than $100 million investigating and cleaning the site over the past four decades, yet residual contamination in soil and groundwater across the former base remains an active remediation challenge.

The OIG's concern is that a major storm event could replicate or amplify that 2024 pathway without any additional trigger needed. Floodwaters moving across contaminated ground at Brunswick Landing would funnel through the same drainage infrastructure into Harpswell Cove and the Androscoggin. The IG's review found that required five-year cleanup reviews at sites like Brunswick Landing did not meaningfully account for sea level rise or intensifying storms when assessing whether existing remedies remain protective.

Kim Wheeler, spokesperson for the Inspector General's office, said the series was intended to raise awareness and push for "forward-looking planning" at vulnerable sites.

The EPA said it is reviewing the IG's findings and maintains that its Superfund program already incorporates "the impacts of extreme weather events and other hazards as a standard operating practice." But because the Inspector General's reports contain no formal recommendations, the agency is not legally required to respond or act.

That gap in accountability is likely to draw scrutiny in Sagadahoc County, where the August 2024 spill is still fresh. The Navy holds ultimate cleanup responsibility under the 1990 agreement that governs remediation at the site, with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and EPA serving as co-regulators. PFAS-containing firefighting foam concentrate remains ready for use in Hangars 5 and 6 at Brunswick Landing, on land the Navy does not own, a fact the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority has previously acknowledged.

The next nor'easter to push water across the Brunswick Landing footprint will test whether the drainage systems that failed to contain contamination in 2024 have been improved to handle what federal regulators now officially classify as a foreseeable flood risk.