Not just on the West Plains: New EPA standards place Spokane water’s PFAS level slightly above federal limit

For years, local concerns over dangerous substances infiltrating drinking water have been on the West Plains, where firefighting chemicals seeped into the ground at the Spokane International Airport and Fairchild Air Force Base.

But new federal guidelines released last week widens those concerns to nearly 87,000 customers connected to the city of Spokane’s water system.

Well testing in the City of Spokane found PFAS levels below the previous state limit. But with new federal guidelines announced this week, Spokane’s water system is at or slightly above the amount that will legally be allowed in drinking water.

Still, Spokane’s highest readings of PFAS are more than 300 times less than the alarming readings that forced the city of Airway Heights to discontinue its municipal water service. And Spokane officials say they are confident they will meet guidelines before they become effective by 2029.

Known as “forever chemicals,” perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, abbreviated PFAS, are a set of man-made chemicals used in thousands of products over the decades. High levels of them have since been linked to cancers, heart disease, high cholesterol, thyroid disease, low birth weight and other diseases.

The presence of the chemicals in West Plains residential water comes after years of runoff from firefighting foam at the Spokane International Airport and nearby Fairchild Air Force Base. The possible origins in other communities in Spokane County are less clear.

The new EPA regulations set a non-enforceable health-based goal at zero – meaning there is no level of exposure that is safe. Enforceable contaminant levels in the federal regulations mean public water systems are not legally allowed to contain more than between 4 and 10 parts per trillion of PFAS.

After beginning testing due to state requirements, Spokane found low levels of two kinds of PFAS that are most common in the United States. The 2022 testing found 2.75 parts per trillion of PFOA, which is perfluorooctanoic acid, and 4.44 parts per trillion of PFOS, which is perfluorooctanesulfonic acid, in the in the Ray Street well at Ray Street and Hartson Avenue. Approximately 2 parts per million of PFOS were also found in the Grace Avenue wells, which are southeast of North Foothills Drive and Nevada Street.

This reading of PFOS at the Ray Street well places it at least slightly over the new 4 parts per trillion federal limit for both PFOA and PFOS.

Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown said the city is “concerned” by the PFAS levels in the water and “taking action.”

“We want to take any measures we can to ensure the safety of the water, and we will pursue any avenues for funds to address both testing and cleanup,” Brown said.

City of Spokane Public Works Director Marlene Feist said more tests will occur this spring, which will help determine if Spokane’s water is really above the federal limit.

“We’re testing it basically right at that (EPA) standard. We’re not testing in the ranges that we’ve seen in places where there are a lot of health concerns. We’re talking about low levels of contamination that obviously we’re going to manage and meet our requirements as a drinking water provider in our community,” Feist said. “But we also have to put that risk in perspective. There are people who have faced much greater risk from these kinds of chemicals just because of the volume and the concentration in their water.”

In 2017 Airway Heights discovered much higher levels of PFAS – ranging between 1,400 and 1,520 parts per trillion. Since then the city has switched to using Spokane’s water system. The exposure on the West Plains has been directly correlated to the chemicals’ use at Fairchild Air Force Base and Spokane International Airport. The cause of Spokane’s lower levels is not known, Feist said.

“We have not at this point been able to pinpoint a source,” she said.

The new EPA standards require public water utilities to conduct PFAS testing by 2027 and reach levels below 4 parts per trillion by 2029. Feist said their current testing puts the city in “pretty good shape” to reach the testing requirement and the city is “currently evaluating” how to mitigate the PFAS that does exist in Spokane.

Where else is PFAS in Spokane County water?

Two other water systems in Spokane County have tested positive for some level of PFAS – Cheney and Deer Park.

Cheney discovered PFAS in one specific well during 2021. A seasonal well only used in the summer, the well has been out of service for the past three years.

The city discovered four different kinds of PFAS in their well. Some were not above the state standard at the time but all are above the new federal standard:

• PFOS: 34.6 parts per trillion
• PFOA: 7.96 parts per trillion
• PFHxS: 23 parts per trillion
• PFBS: 6.54 parts per trillion

“Although the levels detected at Well 5 are very low, it is nonetheless the City’s responsibility and duty to notify our water customers of the testing requirements and results,” the City of Cheney wrote in a 2022 press release.

In a statement Friday, Cheney Director of Public Works Todd Ablemann said well 5 is still out of commission and the city has received funding from the Department of Health to work toward filtering PFAS.

Deer Park found between 2.22 and 11.3 parts per trillion of PFAS depending on which pump was tested, according to the city’s 2022 water quality report.

A representative for the city did not immediately return a request for comment.

According to a statement from Whitworth Water District General Manager Tim Murrell tests on their water sources show PFAS levels “below the recently published PFAS EPA guidelines.”

Here are a list of water systems in Spokane County that have tested for PFAS in recent years and not found detectible levels of the dangerous chemicals.

• City of Medical Lake.
• Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District.
• Consolidate Irrigation.
• Spokane County Water District No. 3.
• M.O.A.B. Irrigation District No. 20.

Here are a list of water systems that did not contain information on PFAS testing in their most recent water quality report and did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

• Vera Water and Power.
• Modern Electric.
• North Spokane Irrigation District No. 8.
• East Spokane Water District No. 1.

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this report incorrectly stated which water systems besides Spokane’s have higher PFAS levels than the new federal standard. The two other water systems with higher levels are Cheney’s and Deer Park’s. Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District tests showed it’s PFAS levels lower than the new standard. This story was changed to correct the error on April 15, 2024.