11/10/2021 - Town of Huntington, Dix Hills Water District File Civil Suit Against PFAS Polluters
The Town of Huntington and the Dix Hills Water District filed a lawsuit Monday, November 1 to hold 3M Company, E.I. DuPont de Nemours and Company, and The Chemours Company accountable for the costs of removing toxic per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from local water supplies. The Town and Water District are represented by Sher Edling LLP, a law firm that is also representing the Town in its lawsuit against 1,4-dioxane polluters and helping more than two dozen other Long Island communities and water districts protect their customers from having to pay for those cleanup costs.
“In our ongoing effort to ensure the safety of our drinking water, the Town is again taking those responsible for the presence of contaminants in our water supply to court,” stated Supervisor Chad A. Lupinacci. "The cost of removing these pollutants from our water should not be shouldered by the taxpayer, the defendants are responsible and we are taking them to court to ensure they pay.”
The Dix Hills Water District is taking every precaution necessary to test, monitor, and assess all water supplies for toxic per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), including, but not limited to, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and/or perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS). If a well is found that fails to meet the established standards, they will expeditiously take appropriate measures to reduce contaminant levels.
The most important goal of the lawsuit is to ensure that the parties responsible for the presence of PFAS in the District’s water have to pay the costs of removing it– not the District’s customers and ratepayers.
The Town of Huntington and the Dix Hills Water District are taking proactive measures to comply with the State Health Department’s adoption of new, stricter standards for PFAS.
The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
On May 20, 2019, the Town of Huntington and the Dix Hills Water District filed a lawsuit to hold The Dow Chemical Company, Ferro Corporation, and Vulcan Materials Company accountable for the costs of removing 1,4-dioxane from local water supplies.
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