WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown called on leadership at the Department of Defense to immediately act to remediate the "forever chemicals," including Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), that threaten the drinking water for more than 2.3 million people in the Miami Valley, including servicemembers at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

Brown's letter to U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and U.S. Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall calls on the officials to work with the city of Dayton and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA), and immediately address the contamination flowing from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) into the City of Dayton's well fields. Brown also requests the officials provide necessary resources to the local community to reduce PFAS contamination from flowing into Dayton's well fields.

"Access to safe, clean water is essential, yet in far too many communities, "forever chemicals" - including Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) - threaten access to safe drinking water. More than 2.3 million people in Western and Southwest Ohio rely on the Great Miami Buried Valley Aquifer, a sole source aquifer located near Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB), for their drinking water. Recent concerns by the City of Dayton and the city's Environmental Advisory Board underscore the need to act. I write to request immediate action by the Department of Defense (DoD) to remediate the ongoing PFAS contamination that threatens the region's water supply," said Brown to Austin and Kendall.

The full letter is HERE and below.

Dear Secretary Austin and Secretary Kendall:

As drought conditions ravage much of Ohio, we are reminded, more than ever, that water is life. Access to safe, clean water is essential, yet in far too many communities, "forever chemicals" - including Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) - threaten access to safe drinking water. More than 2.3 million people in Western and Southwest Ohio rely on the Great Miami Buried Valley Aquifer, a sole source aquifer located near Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB), for their drinking water. Recent concerns by the City of Dayton and the city's Environmental Advisory Board underscore the need to act. I write to request immediate action by the Department of Defense (DoD) to remediate the ongoing PFAS contamination that threatens the region's water supply.

The Great Miami Buried Valley Aquifer is the largest sole-source drinking water system in the United States harmed by military PFAS contamination. If the aquifer is contaminated, there is no other viable source of drinking water in the area. This threat to the region's drinking water supply demands immediate, aggressive action. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) recent designation of PFAS as a "hazardous substance" and final rule establishing a Maximum Contaminant Limit (MCL) of some of the PFAS compounds of just four (4) parts per trillion (PPT) underscores the need for urgent, comprehensive action.

To address this critical problem, I urge you to take immediate action to: 1) enter into a cooperative agreement with the City of Dayton and WPAFB as previously requested by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine; 2) take immediate action to address the contamination flowing from WPAFB into the city of Dayton's well fields; 3) initiate a Time Critical Removal Action in accordance with the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA); and 4) provide the resources necessary to reduce the amount of PFAS contamination flowing into Dayton's well fields.

First, I request that you enter into a cooperative agreement with the City of Dayton and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) to address the contamination as requested by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine in August 2020. It is unacceptable that DoD has failed to act on Governor DeWine's request in a timely manner, especially when the Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) required the Department to act on cooperative agreements to test, monitor, and remediate PFAS contamination caused by DoD activities when requested by a Governor.^[1] Despite this requirement, Governor DeWine's request for a cooperative agreement between the City of Dayton/OEPA and DoD/Air Force (AF) has gone unanswered for over four years. The FY 2020 NDAA also requires DoD to prepare a report for Congress explaining why it has not entered into such an agreement during any year when it fails to do so, detailing the steps DoD plans to take to successfully enter into such a cooperative agreement. DoD has not only failed to enter into a cooperative agreement as required under the law, but has also failed to provide any report to Congress detailing its efforts to enter into an agreement with the City of Dayton and OEPA. DoD must act now to engage with local officials and enter into an agreement with the City of Dayton and OEPA, in accordance with the FY20 NDAA.

Second, I request that you act urgently to address the contamination flowing from WPAFB into the City of Dayton's well fields. As stated above, the Great Miami Buried Valley Aquifer is the largest sole-source aquifer impacted by military contamination, serving more than 2.3 million people - approximately 400,000 of whom are served by the City of Dayton alone. The City of Dayton's and the region's rate payers should not be forced to absorb the steep costs required for remediation of a problem they did not cause. DoD must assist the City in addressing PFAS contaminating and pay for the necessary remediation work.

Third, I request you take immediate action to protect residents from further exposure to PFAS resulting from DoD activity at WPAFB. On September 3, 2024, DoD detailed how it will implement the new EPA MCL, including plans to prioritize remediation of private wells that have PFAS levels three times higher than the MCL over public water systems, even though the EPA MCL specifically applies to public drinking water systems and not private water systems. Dayton's Mad River Drinking Water Well Field has already been contaminated at levels that exceed three (3) times the MCL, and monitoring wells near the well field show contamination as high as 600 parts per trillion up to 150 times the MCL. I am extremely concerned about the DoD's plans to prioritize private water drinking water wells to the detriment of action to address widespread contamination of a large public drinking water system in Ohio. Addressing private water well contamination is important but should not come at the expense of addressing this burgeoning crisis impacting roughly 2.3 million Ohio residents.

I urge DoD to reconsider its September 3 memo and include public drinking water systems as a priority in its plans to address PFAS contamination, starting with Dayton's sole source aquifer. DoD must initiate a Time Critical Removal Action in accordance with the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), provide resources and funding to the City for end of pipe treatment, and act urgently to reduce the amount of PFAS contamination flowing into Dayton's well fields from the WPFAB.

The City of Dayton and the entire region value their longstanding relationship with the Air Force. Serving and supporting the many missions - and the men and women - at WPAFB is a source of pride. I look forward to hearing from you as soon as possible so we can work together swiftly to protect the drinking water supply for millions of Ohioans and the servicemembers in the Maimi Valley that carry out the essential missions at WPAFB.

Sincerely,

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