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Resident urges Spokane to test biosolids after PFOS detections, cites Fairchild contamination
Summary
A Spokane resident warned the Climate Resilience and Sustainability Board about PFOS in drinking water and current biosolids practices, urging the city to seek upgrades and available grants and to accept public information on the issue.
A Spokane resident told the Climate Resilience and Sustainability Board she is concerned about PFOS contamination in drinking water and biosolids management and urged the city to pursue treatment upgrades and available grants.
Monica Lowney, who identified herself as a Spokane resident, addressed the board during public comment in July, citing the city’s 2024 water-quality report and recent external reporting that biosolids from the Spokane wastewater treatment plant are applied to farmland.
"The wastewater biosolids program is not required to test for PFOS," Lowney said, and she noted that SB 5033 (state legislation referenced in her remarks) would require testing beginning in July 2028. She pointed to septic-hauling trucks from the West Plains as a potential pathway for PFAS-laden material into the city treatment plant, and referenced contamination connected to firefighting foam used at Fairchild Air Force Base and Spokane International Airport.
Lowney urged the board and city to consider upgrading biosolids treatment and to pursue available grants and loans. She cited Department of Ecology seminars and said larger cities have recently secured multi‑million-dollar funds for biosolids upgrades.
Board staff directed Lowney to submit materials to the board secretary at jsnyder@spokanecity.org; she said she would do so.
The board did not take action during the public comment period. The mayoral or council staff follow-up and any staff analysis of biosolids testing requirements or grant opportunities were not stated during the meeting.
