Free toxic foam disposal for Vt. fire departments
Keith Whitcomb | September 14, 2018 By KEITH WHITCOMB JR.
STAFF WRITER
Fire departments that need to dispose of a certain type of firefighting foam thought to contaminate groundwater have the chance to do so free.
The Department of Environmental Conservation announced Friday that through Oct. 8, departments can bring their stores of Type B Aqueous Film Forming Foam to their local solid waste districts, where it will be collected and sent off to be safely destroyed.
AFFF made before 2003 contains per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which have been found in the well serving the Rutland Airport Business Park in North Clarendon. The discovery prompted an order from the state for people not to drink that water, but a filter has since been installed. PFAS has been found in five Clarendon wells at levels above the state standard, which is low compared with other states.
It’s suspected that the PFAS contamination near the business park came from the Rutland-Southern Vermont Regional Airport, where in 1986 firefighters used the firefighting foam after a plane crash. The foam is typically used on chemical fires, such as burning fuel.
PFAS have been in the news for the past few years after a related chemical, PFOA, was discovered in private wells in Bennington. Neighboring Hoosick Falls, New York, also found its water supply contaminated by PFOA. There, the chemical is believed to be from factories that once manufactured Teflon products. The chemicals have been linked to health problems.
Michael Nahmias, hazardous site manager for DEC, said departments with less than 220 pounds of foam (about five 5-gallon buckets) can take them to the drop-off sites themselves. Departments with more than that have to make special arrangements as required by the Environmental Protection Agency.
DEC is partnering with the state Division of Fire Safety for the collection program. Nahmias said it’s not known exactly how much it will cost the state to collect and dispose of the AFFF. It will depend on how much is collected, but it’s not expected to be exorbitant.
“The cost of the program pales in comparison to what it would take to reclaim an aquifer,” he said.
To get a sense of how much AFFF might be collected, the state sent out surveys to Vermont fire departments. Not all responded, but based on those who did, the program might see between 2,000 and 3,000 gallons collected.
The state has contracted National Response Corporation, based in Williston, to collect and dispose of the AFFF. Nahmias said the company specializes in disposing of hazardous waste. In this case, it will be done by incineration. Nahmias said the foam will be burned at a temperature hot enough to break down the harmful PFAS components. “We’re pretty particular about it being disposed of in a responsible manner,” he said.
Rutland City Fire Chief James Larsen said Friday his department is taking stock of how much AFFF from before 2003 it has, and plans to make use of the program. He estimated the department has between 200 and 400 gallons.
“We thought it was in our best interest to get rid of it based on what we’ve heard,” he said, adding that the department wants to be a good steward of the local environment.
He said the department has PFAS-free foam it can use as needed.
“We would use that on significant fuel spills, fuel fires …” he said.
Some smaller departments also plan to make use of the program. Clarendon Fire Chief Matthew Jakubowski said his department has about two buckets. It’s old, he said, and has turned into a kind of black sludge. The department also has new PFAS-free foam if needed.
The drop-off points are:
— Rutland County Solid Waste District, Household Hazardous Waste Depot, Gleason Road Transfer Station, 14 Gleason Road in Rutland. Call Deane Wilson at 775-7209 or email deanew@rcswd.com.
— Chittenden Solid Waste District Environmental Depot, 1011 Airport Parkway, South Burlington. Call 865-4663 or email Gary Winnie at gwinnie@cswd.net.
— Addison County Solid Waste Management District HazWaste Center, 1223 Route 7, Middlebury. Call Don Maglienti at 388-2333 or email don@acswmd.org.
— Northeast Kingdom Solid Waste District Lyndonville Recycling Center, 224 Church St., Lyndonville. Call Paul Tomasi at 626-3532 or email director@nekwmd.org.
— Northwest Solid Waste District Georgia Recycling Center, 158 Morse Drive in Fairfax. Call Rich Backer at 524-5986 or email rbacker@nwswd.org.
Departments with more than 220 pounds of AFFF must call DEC’s Waste Management & Prevention Division at 828-1138.