Per rebuke to their submitted plan, local governments must deliver bottled water to PFAS-impacted West Plains residents

By Amanda Sullender | The Spokesman-Review | April 13, 2026

Read the full article by Amanda Sullender (The Spokesman-Review)

"Last month, local governments proposed a plan to get clean drinking water access to West Plains residents affected by PFAS contamination. The state Department of Ecology has determined that plan is not good enough.

The agency ordered the City of Spokane, Spokane County and Spokane International Airport in February to provide uncontaminated drinking water to people affected by the airport’s PFAS contamination. The two local governments jointly own the airport, which had contaminated nearby groundwater with PFAS-laced firefighting foam.

Known as “forever chemicals,” perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances are a set of human-made chemicals used in thousands of products over decades. High levels have since been linked to cancers, heart disease, high cholesterol, thyroid issues, low birth weight and other diseases. The presence of the hazardous chemicals in West Plains residential water after years of runoff from firefighting foam at the airport and nearby Fairchild Air Force Base has been the subject of an ongoing cleanup effort."