SPOKANE, Wash – The Washington Department of Ecology says City of Spokane, Spokane County and Spokane International Airport are not complying with legal orders, delaying the cleanup of PFAS contaminants on the West Plains.
Dept of Ecology is directing cleanup of contaminants left behind from firefighting foam used by Fairchild Air Force Base, Spokane International Airport and Spokane County Fire Station 10-5.
Dept of Ecology sent a letter to the entities Tuesday, saying the entities “have made insufficient progress” and are non-compliant in several areas, including “insufficient well sampling frequency” and putting roadblocks in place to screen whether a property should be included in testing for the PFAS materials.
Ecology is also accusing the entities of leaving the state’s comments out of draft clean-up documents.
The agency is requiring the airport, county and city to submit a revised action plan to the state by the close of business Friday.
“Ecology understands that because of the Spokane Complex Fires, the City and County are currently navigating a response to an unprecedented emergency,” the letter says. “Ecology and its Eastern Region staff are also responding to and are impacted by this emergency, both professionally and personally. It is important to note the issues outlined in this letter predate this emergency and that many residents of the West Plains, who have long been impacted by PFAS in drinking water, have now been affected by these fires. Collectively, we cannot postpone helping this overburdened community.”
Ecology goes on to say it urges the city, county and airport to make this cleanup and health emergency a higher priority.
Spokane International Airport issued a news release Tuesday, saying it has received 287 requests from people who want their wells tested. SIA says so far, it has received results from 17 wells, confirming the presence of PFAS.
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