Cash buyback
None
← Scoreboard
WA
Washington
Active programCollected
140 gal
first dept, Nov 2025
Target
32,000 gal
Destruction
Clean Harbors, incineration (Aragonite, UT)
Deadline
UpcomingFunded through ~Jun 2027
Federal law applies in every state
- EPA set enforceable drinking-water limits for PFOA and PFOS at 4 parts per trillion (2024). A May 2026 proposal would keep those two, extend compliance to 2031, and rescind the others. Proposed, not final.
- Under CERCLA (the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act), PFOA and PFOS are hazardous substances, so cleanup liability is strict, retroactive, and joint and several.
- Federally required uses at Part 139 airports and military installations follow federal rules regardless of state law.
- The Department of Defense is phasing out AFFF under the NDAA.
State law and program in Washington
Chapter 70A.400 RCW (Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2793, 2018) ↗
What's still allowed
Sale and training use have been banned since 2018/2020; Part 139 airport and military uses remain exempt.
How to get rid of PFAS foam
Use the Dept. of Ecology AFFF Collection & Disposal Program (launched Sept 2025), free pickup, transport, and disposal (Clean Harbors, high-temp incineration at Aragonite, UT), plus replacement support. No cash buyback.
Funding and help
Collection and destruction run through the Washington program; check the official page for what the state covers.
Federal funding, available in every state
- EPA Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities grant ↗, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
- Drinking Water State Revolving Fund ↗, including the infrastructure-law set-aside for emerging contaminants like PFAS.
- FAA airport foam transition support ↗ for Part 139 commercial airports moving off fluorinated foam.
- Fire departments with contaminated water may qualify as claimants in the aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) settlements.
Future plans
State program funding runs through ~June 2027; projected scope is ~32,000–40,000 gallons across ~80–95 departments.
Destruction & vendors
Foam in Washington is handled by: Clean Harbors, incineration (Aragonite, UT). Launched Sept 2025; free disposal + replacement, no cash buyback. ~32k gal projected scope.
Official sources
Washington official program page ↗A note for smaller departments
Large departments and municipalities usually have legal counsel and a budget to manage PFAS liability. Small and volunteer departments often do not. That makes a documented chain of custody and a certificate of destruction the strongest protection a small department has: proof that the foam was handled lawfully and never released. See liability and litigation.
⚠ Never discharge PFAS foam. Keep the certificate of destruction.
Firefighting foam containing PFAS cannot lawfully be released anywhere: not overboard, in a harbor or slip, down a drain or sewer, onto the ground, or into an ordinary landfill. Under CERCLA (the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act), PFOA and PFOS are hazardous substances, and disposal liability is strict, retroactive, and joint and several, so whoever sent the waste can be billed for the cleanup years later. Keep the certificate of destruction: if you cannot document that the foam was destroyed, you cannot prove where it went, and foam you cannot account for can be treated as a release to the environment, with the liability that follows. EPA / CERCLA ↗