Karen, thanks for your comment. "What will the community do, even if they win a huge settlement?"--good question. I can give you a partial answer and hope to improve on it with future reporting. The Air Force has been offering and providing certain private well owners with filtration equipment to remove the "forever chemicals" from their well water. But the contracts come with strings attached and, for example, prohibit the use of the filtered water for garden irrigation, which is a problem because putting contaminated water on gardens actually concentrates the hazardous chemicals in the produce, making it unsafe to consume. Those who refuse the contracts can get bottled water delivered to them at the Air Force's expense. However, the process by which the Air Force chooses to accept responsibility for contaminated wells on the West Plains is murky, at best, and not all well owners with contaminated water have been offered relief, either in treatment systems for well water or for bottled water deliveries. So, you're right, the questions about the future (especially for private well owners) remain unanswered.
Thank you for working on this story. I saw the NYT article you referenced, after hearing about the contaminant situation in Airway Heights. When they say "Forever Chemicals", it seems to imply they will always be there. What will the community do, even if they win a huge settlement? Sure, the dumping of the chemicals will cease but that's small comfort to those who live there, if their water is undrinkable. Yet, every small town surrounding Spokane can't keep adding straws in the aquifer as they expand their growth boundaries, especially as Spokane continues to stretch, instead of becoming more compact. So many issues at play and all need solutions as unpolluted land and water become more scarce.
Karen, thanks for your comment. "What will the community do, even if they win a huge settlement?"--good question. I can give you a partial answer and hope to improve on it with future reporting. The Air Force has been offering and providing certain private well owners with filtration equipment to remove the "forever chemicals" from their well water. But the contracts come with strings attached and, for example, prohibit the use of the filtered water for garden irrigation, which is a problem because putting contaminated water on gardens actually concentrates the hazardous chemicals in the produce, making it unsafe to consume. Those who refuse the contracts can get bottled water delivered to them at the Air Force's expense. However, the process by which the Air Force chooses to accept responsibility for contaminated wells on the West Plains is murky, at best, and not all well owners with contaminated water have been offered relief, either in treatment systems for well water or for bottled water deliveries. So, you're right, the questions about the future (especially for private well owners) remain unanswered.
Thank you for working on this story. I saw the NYT article you referenced, after hearing about the contaminant situation in Airway Heights. When they say "Forever Chemicals", it seems to imply they will always be there. What will the community do, even if they win a huge settlement? Sure, the dumping of the chemicals will cease but that's small comfort to those who live there, if their water is undrinkable. Yet, every small town surrounding Spokane can't keep adding straws in the aquifer as they expand their growth boundaries, especially as Spokane continues to stretch, instead of becoming more compact. So many issues at play and all need solutions as unpolluted land and water become more scarce.