Pender County joins class action lawsuit against 3M over water contamination

PENDER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — Pender County has joined a class action suit against 3M Company. According to a news release, 3M agreed to pay a settlement of up to $10.3 billion to resolve lawsuits over the contamination of drinking water systems.

If approved, the settlement funds will be paid out over 13 years to public water providers across the country. In a similar case, Pender County has joined a settlement where Chemours, Corteva, and DuPont will pay an estimated $1.19 billion. The manufacturers settled both cases after allegations that they polluted drinking water with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) also known as “forever chemicals”. The settlement will help remove PFAS from public drinking water systems.

Both cases are scheduled for upcoming final fairness hearings in South Carolina.

For many years, PFAS have been used in packaging, non-stick cookware, firefighting foam, and other common applications. According to the Environmental Protection Agency website, studies have shown that exposure to some PFAS in the environment may be linked to harmful health effects in humans and animals.

Pender County was one of the first surface water treatment plants in southeastern North Carolina to implement Granular Activated Carbon in 2012. The system was designed to remove organics from the water for the reduction of disinfection by-products in the finished water. GAC is also an effective treatment for removing PFAS. The GAC system has shown great success in removing PFAS. However, with the expansion of capacity comes the need for Pender County Utilities to make improvements. The county says these settlements could be used to improve the GAC system at the surface water treatment plant without increasing utility costs.

The funds in the class settlement are intended to address the additional costs of treatment of water containing PFAS, the money the County will receive does not cover any individual damages.