Oct. 4—The La Crosse Regional Airport is one step closer to being PFAS-free with a La Crosse committee's funding recommendation Thursday night.
If approved by the full city council next week, the airport will have the funding necessary to replace all of its firefighting foam containing PFAS. French Island residents living around the airport have been drinking bottled water after PFAS chemicals were found in most of the town's private water wells.
While an investigation is still ongoing, the source of the PFAS contamination is believed to be the airport's burn pits, according to the DNR.
The airport has historically used AFFF firefighting foam, which contains polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as the carcinogenic "forever chemical" PFAS. The FAA mandated airports across the nation use AFFF for decades.
With the recent discovery of PFAS' dangerous nature, the FAA approved an alternative foam called F3 in May 2023. F3 is the only other firefighting foam approved by the FAA.
La Crosse's Finance & Administration committee unanimously recommended sending $80,000 in American Rescue Plan funds to the airport so the last foam reserves with PFAS can be exchanged for the new F3 foam.
A report from airport director Jeffrey Tripp added that the exchange is estimated to only cost $70,000. Any remaining funds will return to La Crosse's general fund.
The funds will replace the old PFAS foam in the last remaining firefighting truck at the airport. In October 2023, the city allocated $16,500 for PFAS-free F3 foam. To be truly PFAS-free, the old AFFF foam needs to be removed from the final truck.
Exchanging foam is a thorough task that requires a total replacement of some equipment. The final truck using the old foam will go through a total clean out, have its fire hoses replaced and dispose of the previous foam safely.
Purchasing new foam did not save the airport from more PFAS contamination. Since the new F3 foam was purchased, staff at the airport mistakenly spilled AFFF foam on two separate occasions.
The DNR noted both incidents were caused by human error. One spill sent four to six gallons of foam into a grassy area of the airport and the other released 125 gallons of foam solution across the tarmac.
La Crosse's city council will consider the funding request Thursday.
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