Laura: IN 2018 ART SCHAAP LEARNED THAT THE WATER IN HIS  HOME AND HIS DAIRY NEXT TO CANNON AIR FORCE BASE WAS  POLLUTED.

TOXIC CHEMICALS USED IN FIRE FIGHTING FOAMS AT THE BASE HAD  SEEPED INTO THE GROUNDWATER AND THE WATER HE AND HIS  FAMILY DRINK, THE WATER HIS MILK COWS DRINK.

TOXIC CHEMICALS OR PFAS OR POLYFLUOROALKYL SUBSTANCES.

THIS MONTH ON OUR LAND, SCHAAP TELLS HIS STORY ABOUT FINDING  OUT WATER WAS CONTAMINATED, WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO HIS  BUSINESS AND WHAT HE HOPES HAPPENS BEFORE THE TOXIC  POLLUTION SPREADS FURTHER.

Schaap: MY GRANDFATHER GAVE  ME AN OPPORTUNITY TO BUY A HERD OF COWS.

AND I MILKED THOSE ANIMALS AND I WAS EVENTUALLY GROWING AND  THEN I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO BUY THIS LAND HERE IN CLOVIS  IN 1992.

WE HAVE BEEN HERE 33 YEARS  GOING ON 34 THIS SUMMER.

IT HAS BEEN A GREAT PLACE.

I THOUGHT THE LOCATION WAS PERFECT.

WE HAD GOOD GROUNDWATER HERE AND WAS ABLE -- GOOD SOILS TO  GROW FEED FOR THE ANIMALS.

IT HAS BEEN A GOOD RUN.

THEN WHAT IS NICE, TOO, BEING NEXT TO THE AIR FORCE BASE,  YOU GET TO WATCH THE AIR SHOWS AND YOU GOT A SHOW EVERYDAY.

THEM GUYS WITH THE PLANES, THE F16'S, F111'S, THE OSPREYS, WE  HAVE SEEN THE PRESIDENTS AND VICE PRESIDENTS LAND HERE.

THEY WOULD PRACTICE PUTTING OUT FIRES.

THEY HAVE A FLAME THEY PUT OUT A FIRE OR THEY HAVE MOCK  WRECKS AND THEN THEY WOULD PUT IT OUT.

AND SO, I MEAN, THEY WOULD DO THAT QUITE A BIT.

AND THAT IS WHEN ALL THE STORY KIND OF BEGINS WITH THE PFAS.

WE HAD NO IDEA WHAT PFAS AND PFOA WAS.

WE HAD NO IDEA.

TO THIS DAY I COULDN'T TELL  YOU HOW TO PRONOUNCE IT.

I WOULD JUST SCRAMBLE IT ALL  UP.

WE HAD NO IDEA IT WAS IN OUR  WATER UNTIL THEY CAME AND THEY APPROACHED US AND SAID, HEY,  WE NEED TO CHECK YOUR WATER.

WE ARE LIKE -- I THINK THEY  CAME TWICE.

THE FIRST TIME WE TOLD THEM,  NO, WE DON'T WANT YOU ON THE PROPERTY.

THEN THE SECOND TIME WE SAID, GO RIGHT AHEAD.

AND, SO WHEN WE GOT TESTED POSITIVE FOR PFAS, WE WERE  LIKE KIND OF SHOCKED.

AND SO WE HAD AN EMPLOYEE'S  HOME THAT WE HAVE DOWN THE ROAD, THEY CHECKED THERE AND  OUR HOUSE.

THEN WHEN THEY FOUND OUT IT WAS POSITIVE, I ASKED THEM, I  SAID, DON'T YOU THINK YOU SHOULD CHECK THE DAIRY?

WE HAVE EMPLOYEES ON THE DAIRY TOO.

THEY SAID, YES THAT IS TRUE, WE'LL CHECK THAT WATER TOO.

THAT IS WHY THEY CHECKED THE DAIRY'S WATER AND THEN WHEN IT  WAS POSITIVE AND THE HOUSES WERE POSITIVE, THEN THAT IS  WHEN THEY STARTED GIVING US BOTTLED WATER.

THEY GAVE US BOTTLED WATER FOR ABOUT SIX MONTHS.

I WENT OUT AND WENT AHEAD AND PUT MY OWN FILTERS IN.

WE FOUND OUT WHAT WE WERE DRINKING WAS POISONOUS TO OUR  BODIES AND IT COULD AFFECT YOUR KIDNEYS.

IT AFFECTS YOUR BLOOD.

IT GETS IN YOUR BLOOD, AND,  SO, WE WERE CONCERNED AND SO ME AND MY WIFE WE WENT AHEAD  AND GOT OR BLOOD TESTED AND WE WERE POSITIVE.

OF COURSE, MINE WAS HIGHER THAN HERS BECAUSE I AM AN OLD  FARM BOY.

I JUST DRANK WELL WATER.

WHEN I FOUND OUT IT WAS IN MY WATER, I CALLED NEW MEXICO  DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

I ASKED THEM, I SAID, I NEED  YOU TO COME HERE AND CHECK MY WATER AND CHECK MY MILK  BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO HAVE THAT MILK SUPPLY CONTAMINATE  WHAT GOES TO THE PUBLIC.

I WANTED TO KNOW WHERE IT WAS  AT.

SO THEY CAME OUT, DID A TEST.

AND THEY SAID, WELL, IF THIS COMES POSITIVE YOU KNOW YOU'RE  GOING TO HAVE TO START DUMPING YOUR MILK AND YOU'RE GOING TO  LOSE YOUR GRADE A PERMIT.

I SAID I UNDERSTAND, I NEED TO  KNOW.

I DON'T WANT TO BE HELD LIABLE  IF THIS GETS INTO THE FOOD SUPPLY.

SO, THEY CHECKED IT AND IT WAS POSITIVE AND WE STARTED  DUMPING THE MILK.

THEN I APPLIED FOR HELP WITH  THE USDA AND THEY HAD A PROGRAM WHERE THEY COULD HELP  ME PAY FOR THE DUMPING OF THE MILK.

WE DID THAT FOR TWO YEARS AND IT IS SLOWLY COMING OUT OF THE  ANIMALS AND OUT OF THE MILK BUT ONE OF THE BIGGEST  PROBLEMS I HAVE, IT IS IN THE ANIMALS.

SO, THERE IS PACKING PLANTS AND BEEF OPERATIONS THAT DON'T  WANT THIS IN THEIR MEAT.

AND I EVEN CONTACTED THE  PEOPLE WHO BUY DEAD ANIMALS AND THEY DIDN'T WANT THEM IN  THEIR RECIPES EITHER.

AND THEY MAKE DOG FOOD.

SO, RIGHT NOW, MY BIGGEST ISSUE IS GETTING RID OF THE  ANIMALS.

I HAVE GOT 4,000 HEAD HERE,  OVER 1000 HEAD THAT HAVE DIED FROM OLD AGE.

I AM WORKING WITH THE USDA TO COME UP WITH A PLAN TO  ERADICATE THE ANIMALS.

WE HAVE ASKED THEM MULTIPLE  TIMES.

THEY HAVE A PROGRAM IN PLACE  BUT FOR SOME REASON, THEY DON'T WANT TO IMPLEMENT IT.

WE ARE STRUGGLING WITH THEM TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WE NEED TO DO  WITH THESE ANIMALS.

LOCAL COUNTY GUYS AND CITY  FOLKS, THEY GOT THEIR HANDS TIED BECAUSE CANNON AIR FORCE  BASE IS VERY BIG FOR OUR COMMUNITY.

THEY ARE HUGE.

THEY BRING A LOT OF FOLKS  HERE.

A LOT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.

I THINK THE COUNTY AND THE CITY ARE WORRIED THAT CANNON  AIR FORCE BASE COULD LEAVE IF THEY PUT TOO MUCH PRESSURE ON  THEM.

THE COUNTY AND CITY SUPPOSEDLY  SAY THAT THE AIR FORCE IS NOT COMMUNICATING WITH THEM  BECAUSE OF THE LAWSUIT.

THEY SAY THAT BECAUSE I HAVE A  LAWSUIT WITH THEM, THEY CAN'T TALK TO US.

BUT IT WOULD BE NICE IF THE AIR FORCE AND DOD WOULD  ACTUALLY SAY, OKAY, LET'S JUST SIT DOWN AND MITIGATE THIS  PROBLEM, LET'S FIX THIS PROBLEM.

WHAT CAN WE DO?

THEY KNOW THEY ARE GUILTY SO  WHAT CAN WE DO TO FIX IT?

HOW CAN THE CITIES HELP, THE  COUNTY HELP, HOW CAN WE WORK TOGETHER TO GET THIS PROBLEM  RESOLVED.

BECAUSE KICKING THIS PROBLEM  DOWN THE ROAD IS JUST GOING TO MAKE THE PFAS GO FARTHER DOWN  THE ROAD AND POLLUTE MORE WATER.

THEY DON'T WANT TO BE AT FAULT BUT THEY ARE AT FAULT.

THERE IS NOWHERE ELSE IN THE AREA THAT PFAS COULD HAVE  GOTTEN IN THE GROUND.

I HAVE SOME OF THE BEST WATER  IN THE GROUNDS HERE.

I HAVE ONE OF THE MAIN WATER  CHANNELS THAT COMES THROUGH HERE AND THIS IS AN EXCELLENT  FARM.

BUT NOW THEY RUINED IT.

NOBODY WANTS TO LIVE IN A COMMUNITY THAT HAS POLLUTED  WATER.

THERE IS OTHER FARMS DOWN THE  PLUME.

THERE IS OTHER BIG BUSINESSES.

ONE OF THE LARGEST CHEESE PLANTS IN THE UNITED STATES IS  DOWN THE PLUME.

YOU HAVE GOT THE COMMUNITY'S  WATER SUPPLY DOWN THE PLUME.

YOU HAVE ANOTHER COMMUNITY  PORTALES' WATER SUPPLY DOWN THE PLUME.

I MEAN IT JUST DOESN'T END.

BUT WE NEED TO STOP IT HERE.

BEFORE IT GETS THERE.

SO PEOPLE ARE NOT AFFECTED.

HOPEFULLY WE'LL BE ABLE TO MEET WITH THEM AND HAVE A  RESOLUTION ON WHAT WE ARE GOING TO DO BECAUSE THIS IS  RIDICULOUS.

BUT I REALLY FEEL LIKE THE AIR  FORCE AND DOD HAS BEEN PUSHING BACK ON THIS WHOLE SITUATION  BECAUSE THEY DON'T WANT TO BE AT FAULT.

WE DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS GOING TO CAUSE?

YOU KNOW.

YOU WORK HARD, YOU TRY TO EAT  GOOD AND THEN YOU FIND OUT THAT YOU HAVE BEEN DRINKING  THIS WATER FOR 10 OR 15 YEARS, REALLY?

THAT WAS DEVASTATING TO KNOW THAT, TO FIND THAT OUT.

OUR KIDS GREW UP ON THAT WATER.

IT HAS JUST BEEN HARD ON ME AND MY WIFE AND WATCHING WHAT  WE HAVE DONE ALL THESE YEARS AND WHAT WE WORKED FOR, YOU  KNOW, BECAUSE A FARMER NORMALLY THIS IS OUR 401 K, SO  YOU WORK HARD AND YOU EXPECT A RETURN ON YOUR INVESTMENT AND  WHEN YOUR INVESTMENT BECOMES; WORTH ZERO, IT AFFECTS YOU.

I DON'T WANT OTHER PEOPLE TO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM.

I WOULD BE WILLING TO SIT DOWN WITH THE AIR FORCE, DOD AND  COMMUNITY AND WORK TOGETHER.

I MEAN, IF I HAVE TO GIVE UP  SOME OF MY LAND TO DO THIS, I'LL DO THAT.

BUT THE WAY IT IS GOING NOW WE ARE NOT MAKING NO PROGRESS.

IT HAS TO COME FROM WASHINGTON D.C.

THIS HAS TO BE FIXED FROM THERE TO HERE.

AND SO, I BELIEVE AND I PRAY THAT THEY WILL FINALLY SEE  WHAT THEY CAUSED HERE AND TAKE RESPONSIBILITY, TAKE  RESPONSIBILITY.

THAT IS ALL I AM ASKING.

YOU NEED TO CLEAN THIS.

YOU NEED TO TAKE CARE OF THIS  PROBLEM.

YOU RUINED THIS LAND, NOW THIS  LAND NEEDS TO BE YOURS.

I JUST WANT TO START OVER, YOU  KNOW.

I HAVE GOT FIVE GRANDCHILDREN,  LOVE THEM DEARLY, YOU KNOW, NOT SAYING ANYTHING BAD ABOUT  MY KIDS, I LOVE MY KIDS, I LOVE MY GRAND BABIES AND I  JUST WANT -- I WAS HOPING TO PASS THIS ONTO MY FAMILY FOR  THE NEXT COUPLE OF GENERATIONS BUT THAT IS NOT GOING TO BE  POSSIBLE NO MORE SO I WANT TO START NEW, START FRESH AND  MOVE ON.

JUST GET IT BEHIND US.