Faculty Mentor
Chad Pritchard
Presentation Type
Poster
Primary Discipline of Presentation
Geosciences
Abstract
The West Plains region of Spokane County has been significantly impacted by PFAS contamination due to the decades-long use of aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) for firefighting training at both Fairchild Air Force Base (FAFB) and the Spokane International Airport (SIA). Groundwater contamination is significant, but surface waters are impacted by the contamination as well. Groundwater flows to the north and east, meaning surface water bodies that make up the northern and eastern boundaries (Deep Creek, Hangman Creek, and the Spokane River) can be impacted by PFAS contamination. The West Plains aquifer system is complex but combining data about aquifer flow with information about where the aquifers feed into surface water bodies can help us predict where we will find PFAS contamination in the surface waters. Surface waters are important to study as they form the boundaries of the West Plains and often function as a fast and diffusive transport mechanisms when compared to PFAS transport in groundwater.
Recommended Citation
Hampson, Jerusha R., "Analyzing Surface Water and Groundwater Interactions from PFAS Contamination in the West Plains Region of Spokane County" (2026). 2026 Symposium. 11.
https://dc.ewu.edu/srcw_2026/works_2026/works_2026/11
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Analyzing Surface Water and Groundwater Interactions from PFAS Contamination in the West Plains Region of Spokane County
The West Plains region of Spokane County has been significantly impacted by PFAS contamination due to the decades-long use of aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) for firefighting training at both Fairchild Air Force Base (FAFB) and the Spokane International Airport (SIA). Groundwater contamination is significant, but surface waters are impacted by the contamination as well. Groundwater flows to the north and east, meaning surface water bodies that make up the northern and eastern boundaries (Deep Creek, Hangman Creek, and the Spokane River) can be impacted by PFAS contamination. The West Plains aquifer system is complex but combining data about aquifer flow with information about where the aquifers feed into surface water bodies can help us predict where we will find PFAS contamination in the surface waters. Surface waters are important to study as they form the boundaries of the West Plains and often function as a fast and diffusive transport mechanisms when compared to PFAS transport in groundwater.
