COLUMBUS, Ohio — State environmental regulators say PFAS “forever chemical” testing will be conducted this spring at a long-monitored hazardous waste landfill in Circleville, while broader questions about whether older industrial contamination sites across southern Ohio should be systematically revisited remain unresolved.
In response to questions from the Scioto Valley Guardian, officials from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and the office of Gov. Mike DeWine said the state currently addresses PFAS risks primarily through drinking water monitoring and will evaluate legacy sites individually rather than through a statewide review.
“The U.S. EPA is continuing to develop more regulations to address PFAS,” a spokesperson responding on behalf of Ohio EPA and the Governor’s Office wrote in an email. “Ohio EPA would look to U.S. EPA for guidance to evaluate legacy sites on a case-by-case basis to address PFAS contamination.”
PFAS — short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — are a class of synthetic chemicals widely used in industrial manufacturing and consumer products for decades. Often referred to as “forever chemicals,” they break down extremely slowly in the environment and have been linked in scientific studies to cancer, immune system disruption, and other health concerns.
State focus remains on drinking water monitoring
Ohio officials said their primary PFAS strategy has focused on testing public drinking water systems statewide.
Ohio’s PFAS Action Plan centers largely on monitoring treated drinking water and surface water sources.
“Ohio EPA works with U.S. EPA and other partners to identify and evaluate PFAS concerns as part of existing monitoring and cleanup efforts,” the agency said.
As part of the state’s H2Ohio Rivers program, Ohio EPA conducted a statewide survey to measure PFAS in major waterways.
According to the agency, the state spent approximately $1.59 million sampling 29 large rivers at 149 locations across Ohio.
“The majority of the samples were found to be below the U.S. EPA’s draft aquatic life criteria,” Ohio EPA said, adding that the results provide baseline data to guide future monitoring and remediation decisions.
The Chillicothe public water system is also conducting PFAS testing as part of federal Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR) requirements. According to the state, those results have not shown elevated PFAS levels in treated drinking water.
PFAS testing planned at Bowers Landfill
Among the specific sites addressed in the state’s response is Bowers Landfill in Circleville, a hazardous waste disposal site historically connected to regional chemical manufacturing.
“Ohio EPA continues to coordinate with U.S. EPA, potentially responsible parties, and their consultants on long-term monitoring at Bowers Landfill in Circleville,” the agency said. “PFAS sampling will be conducted in the spring.”
The landfill has been under environmental monitoring for decades because it accepted chemical waste streams from DuPont and PPG operations during the height of regional manufacturing.
Other legacy sites not currently scheduled for PFAS testing
The Ohio EPA also responded to questions about several other well-documented contamination sites in Ross County.
The former Chillicothe City Landfill, which historical records show received over 6,500 tons of hazardous waste associated with DuPont operations, remains under post-closure environmental monitoring.
“The former Chillicothe City Landfill is performing post-closure care, including groundwater corrective measures monitoring,” the agency said, referencing Ohio Administrative Code Rule 3745-27-10.
According to the Ohio EPA, its evaluation found no downgradient water supply wells currently at risk for contamination, and the property is subject to an environmental covenant restricting groundwater use.
Officials also addressed the former Wear Ever aluminum facility in Chillicothe, where environmental investigations began in the 1980s.
The site was placed under the Director’s Final Findings and Orders in the early 1990s, requiring minimal remediation actions. However, PFAS compounds are not currently included in the site’s required sampling program despite using PFAS-containing products from DuPont.
“PFAS is not included in the sampling regimen required by the DFFOs,” Ohio EPA said.
Despite that, the agency said it does not have PFAS concerns regarding Chillicothe’s water supply.
Long history of industrial contamination in the region
Ross and Pickaway counties contain several legacy industrial and landfill sites dating back to the mid-20th century, when aluminum manufacturing, chemical production, and paper processing were major regional industries.
Over the years, environmental investigations at those sites have focused largely on solvents, heavy metals, and other industrial contaminants.
Many of those cleanup programs began decades before PFAS contamination became widely understood or routinely tested.
A growing regulatory question
Despite increasing national attention to PFAS contamination — and new federal drinking water limits finalized in recent years — Ohio officials say the state does not currently have a plan to systematically revisit older hazardous waste sites to test for the chemicals.
Instead, regulators say potential PFAS contamination will be addressed individually as information emerges.
That approach means many of the region’s best-known toxic sites — including former industrial facilities and landfills tied to historic chemical waste disposal — are not currently scheduled for PFAS testing.
For now, the only location in the region where the Ohio EPA has confirmed PFAS sampling is scheduled is Bowers Landfill in Circleville.
And despite what scientists now know about the persistence and potential health risks of “forever chemicals,” most of the sites that defined southern Ohio’s industrial contamination history are not being revisited for PFAS testing at this time.