Gazette Daily News Briefing, December 12

This is John McGlothlen with The Gazette digital news desk and I'm here with your update for Monday, December 12th.

According to the National Weather Service, we can expect patchy freezing fog between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. in the Cedar Rapids area. Also cloudy, with a high near 39. Winds from the southeast, 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. And tonight, mostly cloudy, with a low around 30.

The Eastern Iowa Airport is considering buying the property of a family whose well is contaminated by toxic chemicals linked to firefighting foam used at airports since the 1960s. The airport is negotiating with Paul and Nikki Hynek, of 3400 Walford Rd., to possibly buy their property or provide the homeowners with a new well, according to Airport Director Marty Lenss. Tests show the Hyneks’ well had more than three times the amount of per- and polyfluorinated substances — or PFAS — the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency had said was safe. Now the agency says no amount is safe. Lenss isn’t certain the PFAS came from firefighting foam used at the airport, but it’s a strong possibility. PFAS can be found in many other substances, including fertilizer, stain-resistant clothing, carpet, cleaning products, plastic, paints and some bio waste. The Federal Aviation Administration requires airports keep this foam on hand and test with it so firefighters are prepared for a plane fire. Lenss said, in previous decades, Cedar Rapids firefighters sprayed the foam in the grass as part of daily checks of the firetrucks. The FAA still mandates airports use the foam, although the agency has said it will certify a new PFAS-free foam in 2023. The Eastern Iowa Airport minimizes use of the foam by running training drills with just water and storing the foam in 5-gallon buckets on an aboveground trailer.

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🎹 Podcast music: “Dubstep” by Emily McGlothlen