MEDICAL LAKE, Wash. — People living near Fairchild Air Force Base may need to wait until 2032 to get clean water as the military delays cleanup of contaminated groundwater in the area.
The extended timeline means residents who have been dealing with water contamination since 2017 could face a 15-year wait for a permanent solution to their water problems.
“There’s not a cooperative, trusting relationship that’s been built,” said John Hancock, president of the West Plains Water Coalition and member of the restoration advisory board created by Fairchild. “Even since 2017, as long as this investigation has been taking place, there’s a long way to go for us to work together towards a solution.”
The potential delay comes as part of broader postponements by the Department of Defense in cleaning up PFAS contamination at military bases across the country, according to a new report from The New York Times.
The air force base has provided temporary relief by helping 109 nearby homes install water filter systems, but Hancock said these measures fall short of a permanent solution.
“There are 109 homes that have gotten a free filter system from Fairchild,” Hancock said. “But they don’t all work well and there’s a lot of dissatisfied customers who don’t have any water for their garden because that system is designed for drinking water only.”
PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are synthetic chemicals that have been used in industry and consumer products since the 1940s. They are often called “forever chemicals” because they don’t break down naturally and can accumulate in the environment and human body over time.
The contamination near Fairchild stems from the military’s use of firefighting foam containing PFAS during training exercises and emergency responses. The chemicals have leached into groundwater supplies that serve residential wells in the West Plains area.
Hancock said there has been minimal communication from Fairchild about when aquifer cleanup efforts might begin, leaving residents uncertain about long-term water security.
While residents near the air force base face potential delays, progress has been made for those living near Spokane International Airport who also need water filtration systems. Spokane County secured more than $7 million in state funding in April for whole-home filter installations.
However, some residents who rely on well water are still waiting for their systems to be installed.
“This project is ongoing through December,” said Karen Arndt, a West Plains resident. “So, even though I haven’t already been contacted by them to install an under-sink [filter] doesn’t mean I won’t because we still have a couple of months.”
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