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County submits PFAS interim action plan for airport area, prioritizes immediate water access
Summary
Spokane County and partner jurisdictions submitted a short-term interim action plan to Ecology after the airport PFAS listing, prioritizing immediate access to clean water for roughly 900 properties on likely exempt wells and committing to testing, filters and community navigators while Ecology reviews the plan.
Spokane County staff told commissioners on March 24 that the county and partner jurisdictions have submitted a short-term interim action work plan to the Washington Department of Ecology after the airport was listed as a PFAS site.
The plan, prepared jointly with the city and the airport, focuses on public health and immediate measures for residents in the designated area. Staff said about 2,000 parcels in the area use municipal water, roughly 2,000 are vacant, and about 900 properties are likely served by permanent exempt wells; those 900 will be a primary focus for early work.
Staff described immediate actions to deliver clean drinking water to people on wells regardless of individual test results: providing bottled water, countertop filters, access to the city Garden Springs filling station with containers supplied by the county, and pilot wellhead filtration installations. The presentation emphasized that access to water will not wait for full test results and that testing will proceed in parallel so officials can better define long-term interventions.
A contractor engaged through an RFQ is conducting site visits to better estimate costs and system designs. Staff cautioned that per-property costs will vary widely because each home and well is different; some installations may require sheds, heaters, electrical work or pre-filtration steps. Staff said the county will avoid technologies that displace PFAS into septic or other waste streams and will use capture-based media that require appropriate disposal when exhausted.
County staff also described outreach and on-the-ground navigator roles to coordinate communications and assist residents in accessing interim services. Ecology has a short window to review the submitted plan and must approve it before full implementation; staff said they are seeking additional grant and capital resources to scale interim and long-term solutions, and are preparing the long-term plan due in May.
The county asked Ecology for feedback and indicated it will begin pilot installations and public events after Ecology's review and as funding becomes available.
