The environmental liabilities manager for Jönköping Airport in central southern Sweden found that foams containing per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) were used on concrete pads within the airport’s fire training area.

AECOM investigated the soil and groundwater quality within the area, sampling water from various sites, including a nearby lake. We then assessed whether the concrete pads and drainage in the training area were acting as secondary sources with residual PFAS. We also sampled numerous private wells adjacent to summer houses on the shore of the lake.

Our strategy will enable the airport and local fire departments to begin using the training area again while minimising the potential risks to the lake, a nearby nature reserve and various streams and ditches around the site.