AIRWAY HEIGHTS, Wash. — The West Plains Water Coalition will hold an event on Monday evening to update the PFAS situation in West Plains. Environmental Epidemiology Section Manager Jennifer Sabel will present the results of a West Plains Cancer Cluster analysis.
In March, the state of Washington started testing hundreds of private wells for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination. That testing revealed more than half of the wells contain higher levels of PFAS than the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standard.
In 2017, Fairchild Air Force Base announced the discovery of PFAS, sometimes referred to as "forever chemicals," in the public and private drinking water for thousands of residents in Airway Heights, Medical Lake and surrounding areas.
Now, seven years later, the contamination remains, and the city of Airway Heights is still buying clean drinking water from the city of Spokane, which comes from a different aquifer. For the thousands of homes using private wells, options are even more limited.
EWU geology professor Chad Pritchard will give another update on his groundwater investigation and mapping project, which includes PFAS contamination in the Spokane River.
The event is free and open to the public. There will be opportunities for the public to ask questions and make comments throughout the evening.
The event will be held on June 3, 2024 from 7:00-8:30 p.m. at the HUB in Airway Heights (12703 W. 14th Ave.)
WATCH RELATED: Test results reveal more than half of private wells in the West Plains are contaminated with PFAS
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