Administration MIKE EWI Of?ce 614.644.4357 77 3. High St, 30th Floor GOVERNOR OF OHIO Columbus,OH43215 gov August 27, 2020 The Honorable Mark Esper Secretary Department of Defense 1000 Defense Pentagon Washington, DC 20301?1400 Re: Request for Cooperative Agreement(s) to Address PFAS Contamination at WPAFB located in Dayton, Ohio Dear Secretary Esper: As Governor of the State of Ohio, I am writing to you under Title Subtitle B, Sections 332(a)(1) and 332(a)(3)(A) of the ?National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020" (NDAA) to request that the Department of Defense (DOD) enter into a cooperative agreement with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and the City of Dayton, Ohio, for the purpose of addressing PFAS contamination that threatens the drinking water supply for over 2.3 million people in Western and Southwest Ohio, including over 400,000 residents in the City of Dayton and surrounding metropolitan area. The Great Miami Buried Valley Aquifer is formally designated by US. EPA under the Safe Drinking Water Act as a sole-source aquifer, which is a special designation because there is no other viable source ofwater in the area. While this part of our State is blessed with large, shallow deposits of sands and gravel, which make the aquifer a plentiful source of water, it also makes the aquifer more susceptible to contamination from surface activities. The City of Dayton's Water Department accesses the aquifer through its Mad River wellfield, which is located directly adjacent to and downgradient from Wright Patterson Air Force Base (WPAF B) operations. Because of the natural gradient, any chemicals released onto the ground or into the stormwater drainage system at WPAFB flow directly towards the City's wellfield. Since at least 1970, WPAFB used PFAS?containing firefighting foams during ?res and in ?re?ghting exercises and runoff from these activities has migrated into surrounding soils and drained into nearby ditches and stormwater culverts. WPAFB has ceased the use of these older generation PFAS-containing ?refighting foams. Results from samples collected by Dayton?s Water Department during August 201 8 detected PFAS compounds in the City's early-warning network of monitoring wells in excess of US. 2016 recommended health advisory level (HAL). These wells are located directly upgradient from the City's production wells in the Mad River well?eld and are required by Ohio EPA as an early warning system to protect the water supply. In addition, extensive network of monitoring wells has detected plumes of PFAS compounds on Base property that are migrating downgradient towards Dayton?s Mad River Well field. Testing of several of these monitoring Wells also showed levels inexcess ofthe HAL. I understand that representatives of Dayton, Ohio EPA, and WPAFB have been meeting quarterly since 2017 to discuss the contamination and ideas to mitigate the threat to the City of Dayton wellfields. While monitoring is taking place, there are additional action items that are important to reduce the threat of contamination to Dayton?s wellfleld. These action items include (1) modifying the Base' 5 pumping strategy to reduce further migration of PFAS contamination off base and towards Dayton?s wellfield; (2) rerouting stormwater outfalls and conveyances in order to be downgradient of the Mad River well?eld, and (3) further evaluating the use of technologies that could be used to potentially treat contamination "hot spots" and/0r destroy PFAS compounds. A cooperative agreement between the above referenced parties would ensure better coordination with respect to: the exchange of PFAS-related information and data; (2) oversight over drinking water source and finished drinking water assessments; (3) implementing potential treatment or other measures to address any PF AS contaminated drinking water near or above the current U.S.EPA Health Advisory Levels, or other future regulatory limits for PFAS contaminants in drinking water; and (4) communications with potentially affected residents and businesses located in Dayton, surrounding areas and in the vicinity of WPAFB. Upon request from this office, the NDAA requires DOD to enter into a cooperative agreement to address [compounds] originating from activities of the Department of Defense" and to expend funds appropriated by Congress for this purpose. Under Section 332 ofthe NDAA, cooperative agreement(s) must contain terms requiring not only continued monitoring of the contamination, but action steps to remove and reduce the contamination. In my discussions with Mayor Whaley of Dayton, she has expressed great concern over the potential impact to millions of Ohioans that depend on water from the Great Miami Buried Valley Aquifer as a source of safe drinking water if we do not work together with a greater sense of urgency and more definitive action to address PFAS contamination. I also concur with her position that the time for action and a cooperative approach is now and not at the point where PFAS levels approach or exceed the Health Advisory Levels in drinking water. I look forward to hearing from your of?ce as soon as possible so that we can begin moving expeditiously with the City of Dayton and WPAFB on a cooperative agreement to protect one of Ohio's most vital water resources. Very respectfull ours, MIKE DEWINE Governor cc: Mayor Nan Whaley, City ofDayton Laurie Stevenson, Director, Lance Himes, Interim Director, Ohio Department of Health General Arnold Bunch, Jr., Air Force Materiel Command, USAF Colonel Patrick Miller, 88th Air Base Wing, USAF