What Dayton Is Doing
about PFAS

WHAT ARE PFAS?

Short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, PFAS are widely used, long lasting chemicals, components of which break down very slowly over time.

These “Forever Chemicals” can be found all around us:

In food packaging, clothing, children’s toys, fire fighting foams, and paint.

These chemicals are difficult to avoid and can be found throughout the environment, including air, soil, and water.

2023
ONGOING EFFORTS
ONGOING EFFORTS
  • Utilizing the groundwater sampling program results to continuously evaluate and improve the City’s PFAS mitigation efforts
  • Engaging with WPAFB, US EPA, and Ohio EPA in collaborative work sessions to protect our regional water supply from PFAS
  • Monitoring of the PFAS plumes originating from WPAFB and requesting additional remediation projects to cut off the PFAS plumes that threaten the wellfield
  • Continuing to seek funding opportunities to address PFAS, including ongoing litigation to have the remediation costs covered by the PFAS manufacturers and other responsible parties instead of our ratepayers
2024
2024
2024

 

  • On April 10, 2024, the U.S. EPA issued new Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) for five PFAS compounds in drinking water, requiring water utilities to achieve compliance within five years
  • $8 million committed from the Water Supply Revolving Loan Account (WSRLA) through the Ohio EPA’s Division of Environmental & Financial Assistance (DEFA)
  • $7.5 million committed from the Water Infrastructure Improvement for the Nation (WIIN) Grant
  • $4 million committed in US EPA Community Grants Program/Congressionally Mandated Project
  • Participated in Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule 5 (UCMR 5) with the US EPA  Link to USEPA UCMR 5 website
  • In September, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) certified the City of Dayton Department of Water’s Quality Lab for testing for PFAS, making Dayton the first municipal or commercial laboratory in Ohio to achieve this certification
 
 
2023
2023
2023
  • $11.5 million committed from the Ohio EPA’s Division of Environmental & Financial Assistance, together with the Ohio Water Development Authority (OWDA)
  • Worked with US EPA Office of Research and Development to develop pilot project for PFAS treatment
2022
2022
2022
  • $5.8 million committed from the Ohio EPA Division of Environmental & Financial Assistance, together with the Ohio Water Development Authority (OWDA), this included $3.5 million through Ohio EPA for federal BIL funding to investigate PFAS treatment at Ottawa Treatment Plant
2021
2021
2021
  • Became the first municipal lab in Ohio to obtain certification to analyze PFAS, saving the City more than $100,000 per year in analytical costs
  • Participated with US EPA and Ohio EPA to review WPAFB’s remediation projects, which aim to reduce the PFAS migration from the base to Dayton’s wellfield
2020
2020
2020
  • Filed a lawsuit against the Department of Defense
2019
2019
2019
  • Continued litigation against PFAS Manufacturers
  • Worked with Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and the Ohio EPA on PFAS remediation and treatment solutions
2018
2018
2018
  • Filed a lawsuit against the chemical manufacturers of PFAS
  • Commissioned a feasibility study to understand potential treatment options to address PFAS
2016-2018
2016-2018
2016-2018
  • Installed over 150 monitoring wells to better define the extent of PFAS contamination
2016
2016
2016
  • Implemented groundwater sampling program to investigate and track PFAS contamination
  • Engaged the Air Force, US EPA, and Ohio EPA in collaborative work sessions to develop a regional PFAS remediation strategy for the PFAS plume from WPAFB

For additional information about PFAS, please visit: www.epa.gov/pfas