Snowmelt Near Airports Delivers PFAS Pulses to Streams Each Spring

When snow melts near runways, it releases PFAS into streams in seasonal bursts, which raises worries about exposure downstream

Tuesday, September 9, 2025 - When snow falls near airports in the winter, it doesn't merely collect ice and de-icing chemicals. Aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF), a firefighting product that has been utilized in airport training exercises and emergency response, can often be found in snowbanks. When spring comes and the snow starts to melt, it sends highly concentrated bursts of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) into storm drains, ditches, and creeks nearby. These chemicals are called forever chemicals because they stay in the environment for a long time. They can then get into regional water systems and drinking water supplies. People who live near major or medium-sized airports may not realize how dangerous the sudden seasonal flush of PFAS is for them. These surges are especially worrying for people who are already suing over PFAS in drinking water or who are looking for help from a PFAS cancer lawyer since they were exposed to the chemicals in the past. Even places that tested safe for PFAS levels during dry months may have short periods of dangerous levels during runoff events, especially in March and April when the snowmelt is at its peak.

A report from the U.S. in 2024 said that according to the US Geological Survey (USGS), PFAS levels in surface water along streams that flow into airports were up to 12 times higher during snowmelt than in the summer. The study looked at places near major airports in northern states and found that the times when snow is removed generally match up with times when PFAS levels are high in water systems. In many situations, the runoff doesn't go through a filter or treatment before it gets to tributaries that feed local reservoirs or places where groundwater can replenish. The USGS paper stressed how important it is to control runoff around transportation hubs. It said that snow storage sites typically behave as PFAS stockpiles, with contaminants quietly building up all winter and then suddenly rushing out in early spring. Even though the federal government is trying to replace AFFF with foams that don't include fluorine, the contamination from decades ago is still stuck in the soil, cracks in the pavement, and drainage systems at airports. Each year, snowmelt reveals these strata again. The cycle of pollution will keep going on, even if AFFF is not being used right now, unless the way runoff is collected and processed changes.

Seasonal snowmelt near airports will probably continue to be a major PFAS issue, especially in colder areas. Local governments and airport authorities will have to spend money on ways to reduce the damage, like lined snow storage pits, on-site runoff filtration, or sending meltwater to treatment plants. Without preemptive measures, communities downstream may have to deal with more and more unexpected exposure occurrences that make it harder to test water and follow the rules. People may start to push for frequent PFAS monitoring in the spring in places that are known to be at risk of being contaminated by melting snow.

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