Shuttle Landing Facility Area SWMU Group 114 PFAS Site Assessment Progress Report Kennedy Space Center, Florida

This PFAS Site Assessment Progress Report (SAPR) presents the findings of the PFAS investigation conducted from December 2022 through March 2024 at Solid Waste Management Unit (SWMU) 114 located within Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida. SWMU 114 includes area around Fire Station #2, Former Sewage Treatment Plants #17 and #18, areas surrounding the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) Runway, Remote Launch Vehicle Hangar, the Towway area, the Morpheus Test Area (MTA), the Former Fire Rescue Building (FFRB), and Contractor Support Building #7 (CSB #7). Fire Station #2 was constructed in 2008 and is currently active, housing fire station personnel and equipment, including aqueous film forming foam (AFFF). Releases of AFFF has occurred at SWMU 114.

PFAS site assessment field activities were conducted at SWMU 114 from December 2022 through March 2024. During the 2022-2024 Site Assessment, 212 direct-push samples were collected from 39 locations, 150 surface water samples were collected from 109 locations, 12 new monitoring wells were installed, 70 groundwater samples were collected from onsite monitoring wells, and 37 soil samples were collected from 18 locations. Additionally, two soil borings were advanced to 60 feet for lithologic descriptions, three staff gauges were installed, and quarterly rounds of water level measurements were collected from monitoring wells and staff gauges for groundwater flow determination. All groundwater and surface water samples were analyzed for 25 PFAS analytes by USEPA Method 537M.

Groundwater results were compared to the May 2023 US EPA Regional Screening Levels (RSLs) and the FDEP preliminary groundwater clean-up target levels to determine the extent of PFAS contamination at SWMU 114. Surface water results were compared to the FDEP surface water screening levels (SW SLs) (FDEP, 2020) for PFOA and PFOS. Groundwater exceeding RSLs extends east and south to Banana Creek, west to at least Peacocks Pocket Road and to the north of Playalinda Beach Road. The extent of PFAS above RSLs has been generally delineated except for two locations to the west along Peacocks Pocket Road and one location to the east along Kennedy Parkway. Areas with PFOS concentrations greater than 1,000 times the RSL have been identified at MTA, FFRB, the SLF Apron, Fire Station #2, Towway, and CSB #7.

Surface water samples indicated concentrations of PFOS above the SW SLs in surface water bodies across the site. Further assessment and sampling are required to better understand the interaction between groundwater and surface water at SWMU 114.

Soil sampling conducted at MTA and FFRB did not delineate PFAS concentrations in soil exceeding the FDEP leachability preliminary soil clean-up target level. As additional soil sampling is recommended at MTA, FFRB, the SLF Apron and Fire Station #2. Additionally, soil samples should be collected at CSB #7 in the suspected AFFF discharge areas.

The PFAS sampling results and path forward for SWMU 114 were presented to the KSC Remediation Team in August 2024.