AIRWAY HEIGHTS, Wash. – Fairchild Air Force Base officials said they will now cover the city of Airway Heights’ cost of clean drinking water up to $700,000.
Then on May 16, the city and Fairchild Air Force Base notified thousands of families of widespread contamination.
But for now, a newborn child that I’m bringing into the world, I just put her in risk’s way,” Taylor explained.
This sparked the Air Force to start testing groundwater around each of its bases.
It is believed the contamination started at an old, former fire training site at Fairchild in what is called the ‘burn pit.’ It is no longer being used and it has not been used for years.
If you think about it, May of 16, the EPA came out with 70 parts per trillion, and in less than a year, we moved out with how we were going to mitigate,” Samuelson said.
But again, the military continued to use the foam until it was no longer available.
Samuelson said Fairchild, like most other bases, did not quit using AFFF until 2015, when the EPA declared 70 parts per trillion as the safe limit for drinking water.
Samuelson said he has never shied away from tough questions or criticism from the Airway Heights community.
In fact, he was often the one answering questions at Airway Heights public meetings at the height of the city’s water crisis.