Contaminated Wells Relocation Act
Click any stage to learn more about the legislative process.
Would authorize NASA to reimburse the Town of Chincoteague, Virginia, for costs of removing and relocating three drinking water wells currently on NASA property that have tested positive for PFAS contamination linked to firefighting foam used at the agency's Wallops Flight Facility since the 1970s.
What this bill would do
What it would do
The bill would authorize NASA's Administrator to enter into an agreement — lasting up to five years — with the Town of Chincoteague, Virginia, to reimburse the town for costs directly associated with relocating contaminated drinking water wells. Those costs could include planning, engineering, design, permitting, construction, and land acquisition or easement. Replacement wells would have to be established on property under the town's administrative control through lease, ownership, or easement.
The bill would not itself appropriate any specific funding or require the agreement to be reached — it permits NASA to enter one "as appropriate." Any agreement reached must be submitted to the relevant congressional committees within 18 months of enactment. The bill does not address the existing water treatment system NASA operates or remediation of the underlying PFAS contamination at the site.
Key provisions
- 1Would authorize NASA's Administrator to enter into a reimbursement agreement with Chincoteague, Virginia, for costs of planning and removing drinking water wells from NASA property.
- 2Would require replacement wells to be established on property under the town's administrative control through lease, ownership, or easement.
- 3Would require any agreement to include, to the extent practicable, a relocation plan, the destination site, and a current cost estimate covering land, engineering, permitting, and construction.
- 4Would require NASA to submit any executed agreement to specified congressional committees within 18 months of enactment.
Who would be affected
Residents of Chincoteague, Virginia, who rely on the town's drinking water supply drawn from wells currently on NASA property. The Town of Chincoteague government would be the direct party to any reimbursement agreement. NASA, specifically its Wallops Flight Facility, is the federal actor directed by the bill.
Why it matters
If NASA enters an agreement under this bill, Chincoteague could shift its drinking water supply entirely off contaminated NASA land onto town-controlled property, reducing long-term dependence on NASA's treatment system and providing the town with a more secure, locally controlled water source. Without the authorization, NASA likely lacks clear legal authority to reimburse the town for relocation costs.
What would change
Agencies directed to act
Effective dates
- Deadline for NASA to submit any agreement to congressional committees
Funding and costs
Congressional Budget Office estimate
CBO estimates S. 606 would cost $18 million over the 2025–2030 period, subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
S. 606 would authorize NASA to reimburse the Town of Chincoteague, Virginia, for removing and relocating three drinking-water wells currently on NASA-administered property. CBO estimates this agreement would cost $18 million over the 2025–2030 period, based on NASA's historical costs for similar activities adjusted for inflation. Because the spending would be subject to future congressional appropriations (discretionary funding), it would not take effect automatically. CBO identified no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates in the bill.
How implementation would work
NASA's Administrator would negotiate and execute a reimbursement agreement with Chincoteague covering up to five years of eligible costs. The agreement must, to the extent practicable, identify the three wells to be moved, the destination site, and a current cost estimate including land, engineering, design, permitting, and construction. Within 18 months of enactment, NASA must submit any executed agreement to the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee and the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee. No rulemaking is required; the mechanism is a direct bilateral agreement.
Legislative status & sources
Latest action
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 149.
Official CRS summary
Show the CRS summaryHide the CRS summary
This bill permits the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to enter into an agreement to reimburse the town of Chincoteague, Virginia for costs directly associated with the removal and relocation of drinking water wells currently situated on NASA property.
(Drinking water wells located at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility near Chincoteague have tested positive for perfluoroalkyl or polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly referred to as PFAS, resulting from the use of certain firefighting foams at the site beginning in the 1970s. NASA currently operates a water treatment system to remove PFAS from the affected water supply.)
Any such agreement must include, to the extent practicable, (1) a provision for the removal and relocation of the wells remaining on NASA property, (2) a description of the location to which the wells are planned to be relocated, and (3) a current cost estimate of such relocation. Replacement wells must be established on property under the administrative control of the town of Chincoteague.
Legislative subjects
Government liability; Pollution liability; Science, Technology, Communications; State and local finance; Virginia; Water quality
Committee report
S. Rept. 119-61