August 24, 2020 at 2:30 p.m.
Rhinelander-Oneida County Airport gets new foam tester
Unit tests foam then pumps it back into fire truck
Rhinelander-Oneida County Airport gets new foam tester
The Mobile AFFF Test Cart was ordered about two months ago as a result of a directive from the governor's office that all airports in the state that use AFFF have one, he added.
The use of AFFF became an issue last year after city wells 7 and 8 on the southwestern edge of the airport property were shut down due to the discovery of per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) contamination.
PFAS are man-made chemicals that have been used in non-stick cookware, water-repellent clothing, stain resistant fabrics and carpets, some cosmetics, firefighting foam, and products that resist grease, water and oil.
Recent scientific findings indicate that exposure to certain PFAS may have harmful health effects in people. According to the EPA, exposure to some PFAS substances above certain levels may increase the risk of thyroid disease, low birthweights and cancer.
Airport officials have been at odds with the DNR since Dec. 9, 2019 when the agency issued a letter identifying the airport as the "most likely" source of the contamination that caused city officials to shut down the two municipal wells. The agency cited the airport's AFFF as the likely cause of the contamination. However, the environmental company hired by the airport, city and county have disputed that theory, noting the groundwater moving underground flows from the northwest to southeast. Also, the city's wastewater treatment plant disposed of waste sludge on the western edge of the airport property from 1988 to 1990 by injecting it into holes drilled into the ground.
Well 7 was taken out of service in June 2019. A few months later, in November, Well 8 was taken offline following further testing. PFAS were also detected in samples taken from the Crescent Spring, leading the town of Crescent to warn the public not to consume water from that source.
Unlike the old method of testing the AFFF to see if it is still at the proper concentration to do its job, the test cart creates a closed environment.
"It pulls it from the tank, runs it through, tests it for proper concentration, then pumps it back into the tank," Leitner said. "All of the couplers are designed specifically for this truck, all the software is for this exact truck. It is heavily automated, and with the couplers, you won't have any inadvertent leakage, discharge or spillage."
Leitner said all airports in Wisconsin that use AFFF have until Sept. 1 to obtain one of these testers.
"So, we're safely ahead of that," he noted.
The $29,560 unit was paid for with an 80/20 state grant from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation's Bureau of Aeronautics.
"So the state pays 80 percent of the cost and we pay 20 percent," Leitner said.
While the cost of the unit, as well other expenses related to the PFAS investigation, was not budgeted, Leitner said these costs will be covered by contingency funds.
"We always plan for situations like this that are unexpected, so we're able to cover it," he said. "But it doesn't help, that was about $15,000 we didn't budget for."
Leitner said unless the foam is used in the event of an actual aircraft fire, it stays in the holding tank on the fire truck. The shelf life of the foam is usually longer than that of the truck itself, he added.
"The foam is good for 20 years in the truck," Leitner said. "The FAA gives us the money to buy a new truck with the same foam that comes with it. That's the reason we haven't been discharging the foam over the years is because we have been replacing the truck, rather than the foam. So the foam goes with the old truck and we get new foam with the new truck."
The Federal Aviation Administration still requires annual tests to ensure the foam will effectively extinguish a fire.
At present, the only AFFF approved by the FAA for use at airports contains PFAS.
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