Lang
2/11/23
The Eastern Iowa Airport is negotiating to buy a rural Swisher property after its well tested positive for chemicals used to fight fuel fires on runways.
That’s according to The Cedar Rapids Gazette, which reports airport officials are in talks with Paul and Nikki Hynek of Walford Road to either purchase their land or provide the family with a new well. The family’s home sits just south of the airport.
Testing done by the University of Iowa came back positive for per- and polyfluorinated substances — or PFAS. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says no level of PFAS is safe, and the levels found in the Hynek well were three times the previous safety limit set by the EPA.
Airport Director Marty Lenss told The Gazette that while he’s not sure if the PFAS in the Hynek’s well came from firefighting foam used at the airport, it’s a strong possibility. PFAS has been used to fight airport fires since the 1960’s.
The UI began offering free testing for residents living near the Eastern Iowa Airport in 2020 after the university’s Center for Health Effects of Environmental Contamination realized PFAS could be a danger to the airport’s neighbors.