Every single stormwater sample collected from Richmond International Airport over a nearly two-and-a-half-year stretch came back positive for PFAS, and now Henrico residents are telling state regulators that a newly drafted permit still doesn't go far enough to stop it. The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality is weighing whether to reissue the airport's stormwater discharge permit, and while the draft version would require monitoring for the chemicals for the first time, it stops short of capping how much of them the airport can release.
The finding comes from a March sampling report prepared for the Capital Region Airport Commission, which owns and operates the airport, according to the Henrico Citizen. The report covered 16 sampling events between April 2023 and August 2025 at three airport stormwater outfalls, testing for 31 PFAS compounds, and PFAS turned up in every sample from every outfall. PFOS, one of the most studied PFAS chemicals, was the only compound detected in every single outfall sample across the entire study.
Outfall 003 and the Chemical Hot Spot
One outfall stood out from the rest. Outfall 003, located at the southern end of the airport footprint near Portugee Road and White Oak Swamp Creek, recorded the highest PFAS concentrations in all 16 sampling events, with the highest combined concentration measured there hitting 8.2 million parts per trillion in May 2024. Four additional compounds — PFTrIA, PFNS, PFOSA and 8:2 FTS — were detected only at that outfall, and the sampling report suggested the pattern there could point to a different aqueous film-forming foam formulation or a non-AFFF source altogether.
Aqueous film-forming foam, long used in firefighting, is identified in the report as a major source of airport PFAS contamination, and federal aviation rules historically required certain commercial airports to use and test it. The sampling report identified seven locations where the foam had been used at Richmond International Airport, including a former firefighter training area and former Air National Guard sites. The airport's stormwater outfalls discharge into White Oak Swamp Creek, an unnamed tributary of Gillies Creek, and an unnamed tributary of White Oak Swamp Creek.
What the Draft Permit Would and Wouldn't Do
Under the draft permit, the airport commission would be required to monitor for PFAS and develop a reduction plan for the first time, per quarterly testing in both wet- and dry-weather conditions with results reported to DEQ. The permit would also require a PFAS Pollutant Minimization Plan identifying contamination sources, reduction methods, a schedule and progress measures, with the airport submitting annual progress reports — and once approved, that plan becomes an enforceable part of the permit, according to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.
But the Southern Environmental Law Center says that while the draft permit would require monitoring and a minimization plan, it does not limit the amount of PFAS the airport can actually release. EPA drinking-water limits for PFOA and PFOS sit at 4 parts per trillion, calculated using running annual averages, but DEQ says those standards do not apply directly to the airport's stormwater discharges. A permit reopener provision would allow DEQ to add limits later if new state or federal standards are adopted.
Residents Push Back at Public Hearing
At a public hearing held at Henrico Theatre on Oct. 28, eight speakers, each limited to three minutes, told state regulators the draft permit does not go far enough. Most speakers requested enforceable PFAS limits or numeric benchmarks, public review of the minimization plan, and firm limits on PFAS firefighting foam. David Sligh described the draft as essentially a plan to have a plan, and said DEQ has a long history of failing to protect the public and environment through PFAS controls and discharge permits.
Tom Dunlap said the airport's voluntary steps are not a substitute for a permit with enforceable limits, and Carroll Courtenay argued the minimization plan should be open to the public. Dana Adkins told regulators that monitoring alone does not prevent pollution, noting that watersheds face potential contamination from stormwater runoff, industrial and commercial activity, airport operations, and legacy pollution — and that these sources must be considered collectively because they can cause cumulative impacts beyond property and permit boundaries. DEQ has conducted extensive PFAS sampling in White Oak Swamp and the middle Chickahominy watershed, where elevated PFAS concentrations had previously been identified.
County Response and a New State Law
Henrico County has tested private wells near White Oak Swamp for PFAS since 2021, offering free testing to residents and reporting over 400 tests and almost 50 filter installations. Bentley Chan, director of the Henrico County Department of Public Utilities, said the county is continuing its private well testing program. Separately, U.S. Rep. Jennifer McClellan secured $1.09 million in federal funding that will extend public drinking-water service to 41 homes in the Cedar Ridge neighborhood off Portugee Road.
A 2026 Virginia law requires the Capital Region Airport Commission to develop a plan to discontinue PFAS-containing firefighting materials at the airport by Jan. 1, 2030, according to the 2026 Virginia Uncodified Act, Chapter 340. The commission must submit its plan and report to the Virginia Aviation Board by Nov. 15. Airport public relations director Troy Bell said the airport had no comment or additional details about the plan for the board.
What Happens Next
DEQ says the agency has not made a final decision on any permit limits, according to Communications Manager Irina Calos, who added that the agency will weigh requests to make the minimization plan public or open to comment before approval. DEQ will notify everyone who commented or signed in at the Oct. 28 hearing by email or mail, evaluate all comments after the comment period closes, and publish a summary of comments with its responses before deciding whether to issue, modify or deny the permit. A second public hearing is tentatively scheduled for January or February 2027.
Written comments on the draft permit are due Nov. 12. Comments must address the technical merits of VPDES permit VA0090301 and include the commenter's name and mailing or email address; they can be emailed to [email protected] by 11:59 p.m. or mailed to Joy Abel, DEQ Piedmont Regional Office, 4949-A Cox Road, Glen Allen, VA 23060, to arrive by close of business. PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, have been used in industry and consumer products since the 1940s, break down very slowly and accumulate in the environment, and research links exposure to certain PFAS with reduced fertility, weakened immunity and cancer.
