JH Airport Board Selects 10 Parts per Trillion Threshold for Whole-House Filtration Systems

June 28th, 2021

Jackson, Wyoming – At its Special Board Meeting held today, the Jackson Hole Airport Board selected one of the most stringent threshold levels for PFOS/PFOA[1] in the country.

The Airport Board voted to offer whole-house filtration systems, which are certified to remove PFAS compounds, for interested parties located within the eligibility area. Based on projections, eligible homes are estimated to test at or above about 10 ppt for PFOS+PFOA. This projected area would be based on scientific data including water well testing results that have been collected to date. An “allowance for variability” concept would be used to develop the eligibility boundary, which will account for future testing variability over time. Residents that fall within the eligibility boundary will be eligible to receive, at no cost to them, a whole-house water filtration system that is certified to remove PFOS/PFOA.

The Environmental Protection Agency has not yet classified PFOS/PFOA as a hazardous substance, but they have set a Lifetime Health Advisory Level (LHA) of 70 ppt. The Airport Board has facilitated PFOS/PFOA testing at 137 residential locations. 136 samples resulted in either non-detects or values below the EPA’s LHA of 70 parts per trillion (ppt). One domestic water well tested at 70.3 ppt.

The Jackson Hole Airport has taken a proactive approach to investigating the PFAS issue and researching best practices to mitigate and remediate PFOS/PFOA from the Airport and surrounding areas. Though the current EPA advisory limit for PFAS in drinking water is 70ppt, and that standard is relied upon by the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, several states have established lower standards. A threshold of 10 ppt mirrors the most stringent regulatory standard currently adopted by any jurisdiction in the United States. The Board selected this threshold to best support the local community and the environment.

Questions can be directed to Meg Jenkins, Jackson Hole Airport’s Communications Manager by emailing megan.jenkins@jhairport.org or by calling (307) 699-4387. More information about water quality at JAC can be found using this link  https://www.jacksonholeairport.com/2217-2/.

[1] PFAS comprises more than 5,000 compounds.  Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), two compounds included in PFAS, are the only two PFAS compounds in which the US EPA has issued a drinking water health advisory. They are also the compounds most closely associated with airport firefighting foam.