The Air Force told the Dayton Daily News in June that it had spent about $59 million to identify and mitigate PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, chemicals sometimes called “forever chemicals” because they are so difficult to mitigate.
According to the Air Force, Wright-Patterson is one of 191 Air Force bases where PFAS releases have been confirmed.
Mark Kincade, a spokesman for the Air Force Base and Mission Support Center, said 26 AFFF (Aqueous Film-Forming Foam) release sites at Wright-Patterson were investigated under the Environmental Protection Agency's Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, also known as the “Superfund” law.
A representative from the base said Wright-Patterson firefighters no longer use the foam.
Two of the survey's 30 questions are, “Do you believe the Air Force provides sufficient opportunities for the public to participate in base remediation programs?” and “How confident are you that the Air Force will continue to implement all necessary response measures to protect people's health and the environment at WPAFB in the future?”
“Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is committed to ongoing efforts to ensure the health and safety of its people,” the base said on its survey page. “The Air Force believes that active and meaningful engagement with local residents is essential to the success of this project.”
In spring 2021, the city of Dayton said it had no choice but to sue Wright-Patterson and the Department of Defense over the presence of PFAS chemicals.
The city then alleged that the Air Force ignored Dayton's offers of cooperation and the Ohio Department of Environmental Protection's request to enact short-term solutions until a long-term plan for addressing PFAS substances could be developed.
Air Force Wright-Patt and Department of Defense officials have denied the city's claims and said they follow federal guidelines. City and base representatives have maintained for years that the city's drinking water supply is safe.
By 2023, the $300 million lawsuit the city of Dayton filed against Wright-Patterson was in legal limbo, mixed with thousands of similar lawsuits under a single federal court master docket.
A representative from Wright-Patt's 88th Air Base Wing referred questions about the investigation to a spokesman for the Air Force Civil Engineer Center.
The survey can be found here.