(The Center Square) – After years of West Plains residents doubting if their drinking supply is safe, clean water is finally on the way. Spokane County announced on Tuesday that it secured $7.5 million in state funding to clean up what some refer to as “forever chemicals” polluting the groundwater.
The initiative allows the county to install filtration systems, known as Point-of-Entry Treatment, in private wells across the West Plains. The $7.5 million is only a fraction of the $18.5 million bid, but it sets the county up to prioritize areas experiencing the highest contamination levels.
Nearly a decade has passed since the West Plains learned about the group of toxic chemicals known as PFAS, which are lurking in the drinking water. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency tested more than 400 wells in the area last year, with 57% testing above what’s considered safe.
“The fact that we got some money this year means it will probably be in good shape to get some more money next year,” Commissioner Al French, who represents the area, said Wednesday.
While a win for public health, the initiative also fulfills a commitment from the commissioner to address the crisis before the end of his final term. Many advocacy groups were critical of his role, accusing French of covering up the crisis and interfering with state aid, which he denies.
The Spokane County Superior Court threw out a recall attempt against French in September, filed by the Clean Water Accountability Coalition. According to the Spokesman-Review, John Hancock, president of the West Plains Water Coalition, has also voiced his personal criticism.
“This is a significant down payment on health and safety for all West Plains people with PFAS in their drinking water,” Hancock told The Center Square on Wednesday. “We look forward to working with Commissioner French and many others to launch this project quickly.”
French told the Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday that he’s tired of residents blaming him for inaction. Several factors have delayed potential cleanup efforts, but French has proposed and supported other ideas, like piping in water or assembling a West Plains PFAS task force.
Commissioner Chris Jordan is helping to form the task force, but it’s just an idea until the entire board approves the initiative. He and French updated their peers on Tuesday, noting that they intend to finalize the scope with the Spokane Regional Health District in the coming weeks.
“I’ve sat on the dais now for months and got beat up by people in the audience, and none of you, none of you, said a word,” French said Tuesday. “Everything that you do to stand in the way, I’m going to go public because the public deserves to know who’s standing in the way.”
He said the only real solution is to find a new water source for the West Plains, which he wants to include in the scope of the task force. Technology can’t scrub PFAS out of an aquifer. Still, piping in water poses its own challenges, even if other areas have already tried the idea.
In the meantime, Hancock said the filtration systems help address the “widespread uncertainty” over the effects of PFAS on local property values. The county expects to receive the funds next fall and will share details on eligibility over the coming months as conversations continue.
“I’m not opposed to exploration of longer-term solutions, which could include looking at ideas like new sources of water,” Jordan clarified Tuesday. “In my personal view, no solution should be off the table as far as the task force is concerned.”
