AFFF environmental impact statement
An environmental impact statement (EIS) evaluates the potential impacts of a project or program on the surrounding environment and human health. We evaluated the impacts of an aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) collection and disposal program that would collect, transport, and dispose of AFFF from Washington municipal fire departments.
Click through our interactive EIS below to learn more about the proposed disposal options and potential impacts. Read the final EIS report or final EIS fact sheet and summary.
Click through the interactive EIS document or read the plain text version.
What are the proposed disposal options?
There are 5 disposal program alternatives we evaluated:
- Approved hold in place, where AFFF is held in place at participating fire stations until acceptable advanced treatment technology becomes available.
- Incineration, where AFFF is collected and transported to a treatment facility for incineration.
- Solidification and landfilling, where AFFF is collected and transported to a landfill for solidification and disposal.
- Deep well injection, where AFFF is collected and transported to a Class I deep well injection facility for disposal.
- No action, where AFFF is left where it currently is.
When will the collection and disposal program start?
State law requires us to wait at least 7 days after the final EIS is published before selecting a preferred disposal alternative. Once the EIS is finalized, we will select a preferred disposal alternative, and launch the AFFF collection and disposal program.
What’s the difference between the final and draft EIS?
The final EIS report addresses:
- A reasonable range of alternative approaches to addressing the AFFF concern.
- Potential adverse environmental impacts.
- Possible mitigation measures to reduce or eliminate significant impacts.
The draft EIS report addressed the following:
- Information on existing uses of AFFF.
- Analysis of current laws and regulations governing hazardous materials.
- Policies for the protection of important and sensitive ecological areas and their existing uses.
- Commitments to coordinate with key stakeholders, which include government agencies, organizations, Native American Tribes, and interested individuals.
For more information about the draft EIS:
- Read the draft EIS full report (publication 23-04-064).
- Read the draft EIS fact sheet and summary (publication 23-04-070).
- Watch our AFFF draft EIS informational presentation on YouTube.
Contact information
Sean Smith
Product Replacement Coordinator
sean.smith@ecy.wa.gov
425-324-0328
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