PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 25, 2026
A massive spill of firefighting foam at a former naval air station has revealed the dual threat of forever chemicals in Casco Bay, highlighting the contrast between persistent everyday pollution and the sudden shock of industrial accidents. A study released Wednesday found persistent, low-level contamination throughout the bay, but concentrations of these harmful manmade chemicals spiked after the August 2024 spill of 51,000 gallons of firefighting foam filled with forever chemicals at Brunswick Landing. The two-year study by Friends of Casco Bay and Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in East Boothbay collected 456 water samples from 76 locations and sediment from 45 sites across the Casco Bay watershed. Using chemical “fingerprinting” to isolate the foam’s unique signature, Bigelow Lab was able to track the spilled PFAS as they drifted up to 10 miles from Brunswick Landing, lingering in the waters long after the initial accident.