Background
The High-Altitude Army National Guard Aviation Training Site is located near Gypsum, Colorado adjacent to the Eagle County Airport. The training facility was established in 1985 to provide training to military helicopter pilots flying in mountainous terrain and/or high temperatures. As with most flight training facilities, Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) was stored and used on the site.
Environmental concerns
As part of the National Defense Authorization Act, the National Guard, with our oversight, is conducting preliminary assessments and site investigations for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, in areas where a release may have occurred. The preliminary assessment was completed in February 2021, which did not identify any known releases of PFAS-containing materials. However, three potential PFAS releases were identified as areas of interest and further investigation is currently underway.