Moses Lake, Washington

Moses Lake is the largest city in Grant County, Washington. Founded in 1910 as the town of Neppel, Moses Lake today has a population of about 20,300. The city's current namesake is a large freshwater lake which provides habitat for local wildlife and a scenic setting for residents. The agriculture and aviation industries have long been the major industries in Moses Lake, thanks to the Grand Coulee Dam, and the former Larson Air Force Base, now home to Grant County International Airport. In recent years, high-tech manufacturing has been added to the city's economic picture as well. Typical employers include Western Polymer Corporation, which makes potato starches for the paper industry, Genie Industries, and aircraft maintenance and storage company Sonico, Inc.

The area's first industries were fishing and farming, which provided enough growth for Neppel to reincorporate as the City of Moses Lake in 1938, but agriculture did not really take hold until 1955, when waters from the dam provided a steady source of irrigation. In 1965, two large potato processing plants opened in Moses Lake: the American Potato Company, and Pronto Foods. Today, the J.R. Simplot Company and Basic American Foods produce French fries, potato pearls and other food items. From 1953 to 1979, the Utah-Idaho Sugar Company operated a beet sugar factory. The aviation industry came to Moses Lake in 1942, with the construction of Larson Air Force Base. The plant closed after the war, and is now a public use airport. With a 13,500 runway, one of the longest in the U.S., the airport has been used as a training and test facility by Boeing, and an alternate landing site for the space shuttle.

Moses Lake has a diverse history of manufacturing and industry in the 20th century, during a period when asbestos-containing materials were widely used. Workers and their loved ones who have been exposed to asbestos may be at risk for mesothelioma cancer. If you were exposed to asbestos in Moses Lake, you may benefit from seeking the advice of an asbestos attorney.

Jobsites in Moses Lake where Asbestos Exposure Occurred

A number of jobsites in Moses Lake, WA have been identified as harboring asbestos containing materials. These sites, at one point in their history, were known to have exposed a variety of tradesmen to asbestos. We will be documenting in more detail how asbestos exposure occurred at these sites in the future on this web site.