Written with the help of AI from the Department of Water memo and contract report in the Oct. 28 City Commission agenda packet.
Dayton is building a dedicated plant to strip PFAS, the long-lasting “forever chemicals,” out of the drinking water at its Ottawa Water Treatment Plant. On Oct. 28 the City Commission approved another $1.7 million for the engineers overseeing construction. The money comes from the city’s legal settlements with the companies that made the chemicals, not from water rates.
Why Dayton needs it
The Ottawa plant draws water from the Mad River wellfield. According to a memo from Water Director Keshia Kinney, several of those wells have been shut down because of PFAS contamination. PFAS are a family of man-made chemicals used for decades in nonstick, waterproof and firefighting products. They break down very slowly and can build up in the body. Federal rules now limit how much can be in drinking water.
The new treatment facility is meant to do two things: keep Dayton’s finished water within federal PFAS limits, and let the city bring its shut-down wells back into use to restore lost pumping capacity.
Where the project stands
The project has moved in stages. In 2023 the city hired Tetra Tech, a Cincinnati engineering firm, for $3.5 million to study the problem and produce a preliminary design. In 2025 the contract grew to $13.15 million to finish the design and permits. Shook Construction is building the plant under a separate contract.
This week’s $1.7 million amendment, bringing Tetra Tech’s contract to $14.85 million, covers its work during construction: running the construction contract, inspecting the work on site, and testing materials. Kinney’s memo says the project is too large and specialized for city staff to handle that alone, so the firm’s inspectors will work alongside the city’s own.
Who pays
The study and design were paid for with a zero-interest loan from the Ohio EPA. This newest piece is paid for with settlement money Dayton received from its claims against PFAS manufacturers, so the companies whose chemicals contaminated the wellfield are helping pay to clean the water.
A new lab, too
At the same meeting, the commission added $311,415 to App Architecture’s contract for the expansion of the city’s water quality lab. Planning documents for the lab include dedicated PFAS testing space, with its own sample preparation and extraction rooms and ventilation designed to keep samples from being contaminated.
Sources: the City Manager’s report and Department of Water memo in the Oct. 28 City Commission agenda packet. More from that meeting: Dayton City Commission, Oct. 28.
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