Airway Heights council holds water contamination debriefing

For Airway Heights City Council and employees, there was a lot to learn from the recent water situation.

During a June 28 study session, council and city department heads held the first of what is scheduled to be several debriefings of the perfluoro chemical contamination issue the city experienced in May.

“This is an opportunity to see how we did, what we could improve upon and how we can work with stakeholders in the future,” City Manager Albert Tripp said. “This is an opportunity to apply what we’ve learned to future scenarios.”

During this first meeting, staff identified the stakeholders and challenges they faced during the situation.

One of the first hurdles staff came up against was finding federal agencies they could turn to for guidance, and cities that experienced this type of situation.

Public Works Director Kevin Anderson said staff had learned about the chemical testing on properties outside of city limits and already had a plan in place in case their wells were contaminated. What staff did not anticipate was shutting off the wells and keeping them offline.

Staff also did not take into account the length of time it would take to flush the contaminated water out of its system. Officials had to wait to dump the water on the ground after first discussing doing so with the state Department of Health. They also had to wait on the test results from Anatek Labs, which had just gotten certification to test the chemicals.

“With each flushing we learned new things,” Anderson said.

Tripp said he did not realize the impact the situation would have on residents and local businesses. One example he gave was Rosa’s Pizza. During the water scenario, the Rosa’s in Cheney had to make the dough and transport it to Airway Heights.

On the City Council side, some council members felt disconnected and were getting information that was in the media and posted on social media. However, Deputy Mayor Tanya Dashiell said she appreciated how much work staff put in during the event, such as distributing bottled water and testing the wells.

One idea that was proposed to fix the communication gap between staff and council during these scenarios was to have Tripp hold weekly meetings with council. Another option is for council to appoint a liaison to attend staff meetings.

Fire Chief Mitch Metzger suggested he could create an “elevator speech” with information cards so council and staff can answer questions from residents.

Although the water crisis is over, there is still more work to do. The city is currently on level two water restrictions.

“People have really responded to the water advisory and we’re grateful for that,” Anderson said.

Staff also touched on different solutions for the impacts the crisis had on the city’s water system. One idea is to install filters on the city’s wells. However, staff deemed it would be expensive to install and maintain the filters, and those costs would be transferred to the residents.

The city is also in talks with Fairchild Air Force Base to potentially hook the city up to a new water source. Staff has also engaged senators and state officials for assistance.

“As we’re discussing options, we are looking at what is most the cost effective, sustainable and safe,” Tripp said.

Al Stover can be reached at al@cheneyfreepress.com.