Preventive measures
Thousands of gallons of the chemical mixture flowed from hangar through plant to river
Bradley International Airport is taking steps to design systems to contain future spills of potentially hazardous firefighting foam after thousands of gallons of the chemical mixture flowed from an airport hangar through a Windsor wastewater treatment plant and into the Farmington River.
WINDSOR LOCKS – Bradley International Airport is taking steps to design systems to contain future spills of potentially hazardous firefighting foam after thousands of gallons of the chemical mixture flowed from an airport hangar through a Windsor wastewater treatment plant and into the Farmington River.
Kevin Dillon, the executive director of the Connecticut Airport Authority, which oversees Bradley, told the authority’s board Wednesday the airport has hired an environmental consultant to determine how the airport can better handle such spills in the future.
“In terms of where we go from here, again, a lot of open questions,” Dillon said. “We are looking at things that really run the gamut in terms of figuring out a way we can isolate the airport from the [wastewater treatment] plant.”
“For example, in the event of a spill or an emergency condition, by closing a couple of valves, we believe we can isolate the system and there may be enough storage within the system. We are evaluating that right now.”
The foam spilled during a June 8 malfunction at a Bradley hangar and contains PFAS compounds, potentially hazardous substances linked to human health problems, including cancer and obesity.
The spill at Bradley raised new concerns in the state about PFAS chemicals that have been simmering for years in other states across the country.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has said it will issue guidelines targeting PFAS chemicals by the end of this year. Dillon said the airport is keenly aware of the possible environmental concerns.
But the foam containing PFAS is the only foam certified by the Federal Aviation Administration for use by the airport’s fire department.
“So even if we wanted to get away from the PFAS foam, you can’t because you are required under FAA regulations,” Dillon said.
The airport, Dillon said, has secured temporary waivers to close off drains — required by state building codes — while it studies alternatives for containing future spills. Dillon said PFAS chemicals are not restricted to the foam but are in a wide range of commercial and consumer products.
The chemicals are contained in manufacturing and cleaning solutions as well as pizza boxes and nonstick cookware.
The PFAS term, shorthand for per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, covers an estimated 4,700 different compounds.
“As we continue to struggle with this issue and the EPA continues to struggle with this issue, no one really know what happens tomorrow if this gets determined
to be a hazardous material,” Dillon said. “What does it mean for not only firefighting codes but all these other processes.”
Contamination of groundwater near Westchester County airport is likely linked to firefighting foam, possibly from firefighting exercises and equipment testing.
For more than a year, Bradley has been “capturing” foam used in equipment testing and recently, outfitted hoses with nozzles that simulate the foam, Dillon said.