Residents Near Spokane Advised to Not Drink Tap Water

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Officials say the Airway Heights water supply may be contaminated with chemicals from Fairchild Air Force Base just west of Spokane.

The city and Air Force said in a joint statement Tuesday evening that Airway Heights water customers are advised to not drink city water nor use it for cooking until the water system is considered free of contaminants.

The Spokesman-Review reports (https://goo.gl/v90xci) the city has ceased operation of the affected wells as it considers next steps.

Officials said the warnings were issued out of an abundance of caution and that the findings were from preliminary groundwater sampling results.

Two wells indicated the presence of perfluorooctanesulfonic and perfluorooctanoic acid concentrations in the water that exceeded levels set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.