Spokane County Races to Provide Clean Water to Contaminated Wells by Next Summer

In November 2025, Spokane County leaders revealed their plans to address the PFAS contamination in the West Plains groundwater. By next summer, they aim to have clean, filtered water flowing from the previously contaminated wells in the area.

To make this a reality, the county commissioners unanimously voted to waive the public bidding process, allowing them to expedite the installation of hundreds of filtration systems in the affected wells. This decision was driven by the $7.5 million grant the county received from the Washington State legislature earlier this year to tackle the PFAS issue, which first came to light in 2017.

While the grant falls short of the county's original request, Commissioner Al French expressed his excitement at the progress, stating that the funding will be crucial in helping his constituents. The county will work closely with the Department of Ecology and the Spokane Regional Health District to prioritize the most contaminated areas for the filtration system installations.

The implementation of these filtration systems represents a significant milestone in the ongoing remediation efforts, which have faced a slow and staccato pace since the public became aware of the PFAS contamination nearly a decade ago. With this latest development, Spokane County leaders hope to provide much-needed relief to the affected West Plains residents.