Spokane International Airport PFAS

Ecology invited the Spokane International Airport (SIA) to negotiate an agreed order that legally requires them to complete a remedial investigation and feasibility study. The remedial investigation will determine the full extent and locations of contamination. The feasibility study will evaluate cleanup options. The agreed order includes a scope of work for the remedial investigation and feasibility study and a schedule for completing it.

The 60-day negotiation period began on October 11, 2023, and we requested SIA to provide any comments by November 8. On November 9, 2023, SIA requested to extend the negotiations for 60 days to obtain technical and expert review and analyses of our proposed scope of work (view letter). On November 13, we granted the extension with the goal of ending negotiations February 8, 2024 (view letter).

On February 7, 2024, SIA requested an additional 60-day extension to confirm the agreed order terms are compatible with its Federal Aviation Administration certification (view letter). Because SIA raised this issue two months ago, Ecology granted a partial extension of 30 days (view letter). SIA responded to our letter on February 26 (view letter).

On March 7, 2024, SIA requested a third extension (view letter) instead of signing the agreed order by March 11 as Ecology had requested. On March 12, we responded to SIA’s February 26 and March 7 letters and enclosed a draft enforcement order (view letter). We issued the enforcement order March 29 because SIA didn’t sign the agreed order.

If you would like to be added to the postal mailing list, please send your mailing address to Erika Beresovoy at erika.beresovoy@ecy.wa.gov or call her at 509-385-2290. The postal mailing list will notify you about open public comment periods for the Spokane International Airport PFAS site.

To join the West Plains PFAS updates email list, you can subscribe online, or email or call Erika to request to be added. The email list will notify you about open public comment periods for the Spokane International Airport PFAS site, as well as other PFAS-related topics relevant to the West Plains, including the Area-wide Groundwater Investigation we're funding. You can also find more information on our PFAS in West Plains private wells webpage.

In October 2017, SIA hired an environmental consultant to drill two new groundwater monitoring wells in the northeast part of the airport property. In November, these wells and an existing well were sampled to determine if PFAS were in groundwater. Sample results for all three wells had levels of PFAS above Washington’s recommended health safety levels.

PFAS contamination had been identified in wells in and around the nearby Fairchild Air Force Base earlier in 2017. PFAS, a known human health hazard, are in firefighting foam used to control petroleum fires at airports and military installations.

In March 2019, SIA hired another consultant to sample groundwater monitoring wells for PFAS in an area that had been used for fire training drills in the southwest portion of the airport property. Sample results for three wells had levels of PFAS above Washington’s recommended health safety levels.

Ecology received the 2017 and 2019 sampling results in early 2023 from a third party who had obtained them through a public records request. Ecology completed an initial investigation, and then added the airport to the Contaminated Sites List.

PFAS are known as “emerging” contaminants. State and federal health and environmental agencies are learning more about this class of chemicals and setting health limits for them. EPA accepted comments on their proposed PFAS rulemaking through August 11, 2023.

PFAS are a group of industrial chemicals used in fire suppression foam, furniture, carpet, clothing, electronics, and building insulation.

PFAS can easily contaminate groundwater and can be hard to filter out. While people don’t eat these products, we breathe in tiny bits of them that have entered the air. PFAS are found in the blood or urine of over 90 percent of Americans.

In November 2021, Ecology and the Washington Department of Health published our PFAS Chemical Action Plan. The plan identifies the potential health and environmental effects of PFAS chemicals and recommends strategies to reduce or eliminate those impacts in Washington. 

Read Keeping your home and family healthy: Reduce exposure to PFAS (Ecology Publication 20-04-043) for changes you can make in your daily life.