Over half of West Plains wells exceed PFAS limits, Ecology finds. Many private wells have PFAS chemicals over ten times the new federal limit

More than half of private wells in the West Plains have PFAS levels exceeding state and federal limits for the dangerous chemicals, according to new data released by the Department of Ecology.

Along with the EPA, the state agency in recent months has collected and analyzed samples from 307 private wells near exposure related to Spokane International Airport, which was required for decades to use firefighting foam containing PFAS chemicals.

West Plains Water Coalition President John Hancock welcomed the results – calling the data a “huge step forward” for West Plains residents who have been in the dark for years about how much they have been personally exposed.

“For homes below the safe limits, it’s great to know that some worry has been settled. For many people, it’s been unimaginable that groundwater pollution could travel so far. That’s the nature of PFAS, as we’re all discovering, and the legacy of decades of firefighting foam at the two airports,” Hancock said.

Last month, the EPA announced new a new legal limit of between 4 and 10 parts per trillion of PFAS chemicals, depending upon the type of PFAS. In their analysis, Ecology compared each well to whichever standard was lower, state or federal. In most cases, the new federal standard was used.

Twenty-five different forms of PFAS were tested. Not all of these PFAS were found in the West Plains wells, but 176 wells, or 56% of the total, contained at least one form of PFAS exceeding standards. Another 14% had PFAS levels below the federal limit, and 30% did not contain any PFAS.

Of the wells with PFAS exceeding these limits, a majority exceeded the limit many times over. For the three most common PFAS compounds detected that have a safe drinking water standard, 33% of the samples were five times greater than the safe drinking water standard, and 20% were 10 times greater than the safe drinking water standard.

Perfluorooctane Sulfonic Acid (PFOS) is the form of PFAS most closely linked to firefighting foam and was one of the most common forms of PFAS found in the wells. Of the PFOS detected greater than standards, 31% of wells exceeded it by five times, and another 14% exceeded it by ten times or more.

For homes with wells exceeding any state or federal limit, the Department of Ecology is providing free bottled water upon request. Email WestPlainsPFAS@ecy.wa.gov to submit results and request water.

“We invite you to share your results with us, even if PFAS wasn’t detected in your water. The results will help us better understand where PFAS came from and where it is going in the West Plains,” Ecology wrote in a press release.

Ecology is holding a meeting next Monday on May 6 to discuss a plan to begin the cleanup process at the Spokane International Airport. The agency will hold another meeting on May 21 to review and discuss the sampling results. Both meetings will take place at The Hub at 12703 W 14th Avenue in Airway Heights.