THURSDAY, August 13, 2026|
Photo – Medicine Bow airport – Courtesy Vernon Lovejoy
Wyoming DEQ discovered several hazardous materials at the historic Medicine Bow Airport.
Built in 1929, the Medicine Bow Airport, officially known as Site 32, served the transcontinental airmail route, guiding pilots between Salt Lake City, Utah, and Omaha, Nebraska. The runway hosted several notable aviators, including Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart. Because of its role in the airmail system, the site is listed on the National Park Service’s Register of Historic Places.
Despite its significance, the Medicine Bow Airport sat largely unused for decades until the summer of 2024, when Colorado pilot Nathan Finneman highlighted the importance of the town‑owned airfield to the Medicine Bow Town Council. Finneman’s presentation led the governing body to reform the Airport Advisory Board to oversee preservation and restoration of the historic site.
Since that time, the Airport Advisory Board has worked to preserve the remaining structures, including the original weather station, light beacon tower, and concrete directional arrow. However, progress stalled last summer after pilots reported a strong fuel smell on the dirt runway.
When historical records failed to identify the source of the odor, such as a forgotten underground fuel tank, the Airport Board applied for a Brownfields grant from the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality.
Wyoming DEQ took samples from around the site, including dirt cores and paint from the weather station. After six months of analysis, the state agency issued its findings in a 218‑page report.
Wyoming DEQ determined that contamination at the Medicine Bow Airport is widespread and above the legal threshold where the state must take action. In other words, the levels aren’t just elevated; they’re high enough that DEQ cannot leave the site as is.
Investigators found toxic metals, including arsenic, barium, and cadmium, in the soil. Arsenic reached a maximum of 7.99 milligrams per kilogram, well above the state’s threshold of 0.68 milligrams per kilogram.
Bromomethane was detected at 0.0384 milligrams per kilogram, above the state’s groundwater limit of 0.011 milligrams per kilogram. The herbicide 2,4‑D measured 11.4 milligrams per kilogram, also exceeding the federal screening level of 0.018 milligrams per kilogram.
DEQ also reported extremely high lead around the weather station, beacon tower, and runway lights, including readings as high as twenty‑five‑thousand milligrams per kilogram. Testing showed that lead found in paint, debris, and some soils meet the federal definition of hazardous waste, with levels far above the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act threshold of five milligrams per liter.
On a positive note, no asbestos was found at the site.
Wyoming DEQ concluded that the Medicine Bow Airport has multiple confirmed contaminants and that materials containing lead must be disposed of as hazardous waste. The next step is for the state and Medicine Bow to develop a plan to remediate the site.
Keeping to the subject of the airport, during Monday evening’s Medicine Bow Town Council meeting, the town’s representative to the Carbon County Visitors Council, Chia Valdez, said she and Saratoga’s representative, Ellie Dana, were working to secure financial support for the airport.
Valdez said the money can be used to replace the beacon light. Airport Board members welcomed the update, but told Valdez they needed clearer communication, saying they were unaware of her work.
Afterward, Councilman Lee Cook, the town’s liaison to the Airport Advisory Board, reported that the board purchased new roof shingles for the weather station, though the delivery date is still unknown.
Councilman Cook said the Airport Board had not yet reviewed Wyoming DEQ’s Brownfields assessment and planned to do so at its next meeting. He added that pilots still want to see the historic airfield restored.
