"It's been almost five years since Brandi and Brad Hyatt found out the well at their home next to an Army base in Washington is contaminated with "forever chemicals."

They started using bottled water for everything from making coffee to rinsing off toothbrushes. The couple even carted their two small children across town to bathe at a gym so they couldn’t accidentally swallow contaminated bathwater.

The Army installed a filter last year, but the well remains contaminated. The kids will be long grown by the time the military provides a permanent fix, now delayed until after 2042.

Hundreds of military bases have been putting off cleanup of toxic PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, for years, according to a new USA TODAY analysis of military records. The latest round of delays, which the Pentagon posted in an obscure corner of its website in May, has pushed some deadlines out decades, or removed them altogether."

Austin Fast reports for USA TODAY July 27, 2026. [2]