The EPA Region 9 office ordered the Air Force and Arizona Air National Guard to take measures to remediate and clean up toxic “forever chemical” contamination in the groundwater allegedly from their facilities that threatens the drinking water supply. The Air Force has challenged that order.
Dayton’s Environmental Advisory Board said the contamination levels of polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) entering the Mad River Well Field are much higher than those in the Tucson well field and the local water system serves far more people.
“Wright-Patt needs to do their part in cleaning up their PFAS issues associated with the groundwater,” Kathy Arnett, chair of the Environmental Advisory Board, said at the board’s most recent meeting.
Base officials said the Department of the Air Force is taking aggressive action to determine if service activities have impacted drinking water with PFAS and it will respond appropriately and prioritize response actions where PFAS levels are the highest.
“We live in the communities we serve, and we share community concerns about the possible impacts our firefighting operations may have on human drinking water sources,” base officials said. “The Department of the Air Force is working with the Dayton community and regulators to ensure PFAS that may be associated with our mission activities does not pose a risk to drinking water supplies.”
Dayton’s Environmental Advisory Board said it is sending letters to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, U.S. Rep. Mike Turner (R-Dayton) and U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown and J.D. Vance asking for their assistance.
A letter to Gov. DeWine states that the region’s drinking water continues to be contaminated with PFAS from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and water sample tests have found chemical concentration levels of up to 15 parts per trillion in the fresh water supply.
That PFAS level is almost four times the new maximum contaminate limit set by the EPA of 4 parts per trillion.
The Environmental Advisory Board said tests of water samples from monitoring wells between the Mad River Well Field and Wright-Patt have found PFAS concentrations of 600 parts per trillion.
“These monitoring wells indicate that contamination up to 150 times the (maximum contaminate limit) is flowing directly from the base to the well field,” the board’s letter states. “Groundwater data and aquifer modeling indicate that the size of WPAFB’s PFAS plume migrating to the well field is extremely large, covering several square miles, which means that the contamination, unless treated, will continue to adversely impact the city’s water supply, and jeopardize the safety and health of its residents and customers for the foreseeable future, most likely decades.”
The advisory board claims the U.S. EPA’s Region 5 office so far has allowed the Air Force to self-regulate the PFAS response at the base. Board members say they want the U.S. EPA to take emergency action to protect the drinking water like the agency did in Tucson because the local PFAS contamination is more serious and impacts far more water customers.
The board’s letter also asks political leaders to encourage the Department of Defense to enter into a cooperative agreement with the city of Dayton to address PFAS pollution.
Base officials said an investigation at Wright-Patt identified two on-base wells with PFAS levels above 70 ppt and showed no off-base drinking water sources containing PFAS above that level.
Officials said the Air Force Civil Engineer Center (AFCEC) installed treatment systems on two on-base wells where PFAS were present at above-action levels.
“AFCEC is also implementing two removal actions to treat PFAS-impacted ground and surface water at five sites on base,” base officials said. “One system should be operational by December with the others to follow in 2025 or 2026.”
Base officials say the Air Force’s investigation and response actions are guided by state laws, the EPA’s maximum contaminant level for drinking water and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act.
The Air Force “is moving forward aggressively in accordance with the (ACT) process to fully investigate releases, prioritize responses and determine appropriate response actions based on risk,” base officials said.
Dayton assistant city attorney John Musto said, at the most recent Environmental Advisory Board meeting, that Wright-Patt has only being willing to deal with hot spots on the base.
He said the city needs Air Force funds to help pay for cleanup because the contamination is in the wellfield and end-of-pipe treatment will be required. He said total cleanup and treatment costs could be $300 million to $500 million.
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown told this newspaper that PFAS contamination is a serious threat to the local water supply that millions of Ohioans and servicemembers in the Miami Valley rely on.
“The Department of Defense must work with the local and state government to address this issue and ensure the local drinking water remains safe,” Brown said. “I will be holding DoD accountable.”
The city of Dayton and the Department of Defense remain in litigation over claims that firefighting foam at the base has caused PFAS contamination in the water supply.
Some news outlets have reported that the Air Force has refused to comply with the EPA order in Arizona, claiming that federal regulators under a recent Supreme Court ruling lack the authority to force them to conduct clean up efforts.
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