SANTA ANA, Calif. – The Orange County Water District is among 11 municipal corporations and special districts seeking damages from 3M Company and other companies, alleging their water supplies have been contaminated with toxic chemicals.
A lawsuit was filed on Dec. 1 in the Superior Court of California of the County of Orange.
Plaintiffs include Orange County Water District, City of Anaheim, East Orange County Water District, City of Fullerton, City of Garden Grove, Irvine Ranch Water District, City of Orange, City of Santa Ana, Serrano Water District, City of Tustin and Yorba Linda Water District, according to the complaint.
Defendants named were 3M Company; E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company; The Chemours Company; Corteva Inc.; Dupont de Nemours Inc.; DECRA Roofing Systems Inc.; and "Doe defendants 1-100."
The Orange County Water District’s (OCWD) underground aquifer, known as the Orange County Groundwater Basin, “supplies approximately 77% of the water supply for north and central Orange County,” an OCWD fact sheet said. “19 municipal and special water districts pump water from the groundwater basin and deliver it to the 2.5 million residents in the District’s service area.”
The 11 plaintiffs in the lawsuit allege that there was “widespread contamination of surface water and groundwater within the Basin with the synthetic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA),” the complaint said.
The plaintiffs state in the complaint that they hope “to recover costs associated with the contamination of drinking water, surface water and groundwater with PFOS and PFOA, and further seek abatement of the ongoing nuisance these chemicals constitute in the environment.”
“Defendants 3M Company … and E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company … manufactured PFOS and/or PFOA and knew or reasonably should have known that these harmful compounds would reach groundwater, pollute drinking water supplies, render drinking water unusable and unsafe, and threaten the public health and welfare,” the complaint said.
In statements to the Southern California Record, representatives for 3M and DuPont dispute contamination claims.
“3M acted responsibly in connection with PFAS and will vigorously defend itself against the allegations in this lawsuit,” Sean Lynch, communications strategist for 3M Communications, told the Record.
Dan Turner, reputation and media relations leader for corporate communications at DuPont, said the claims by the California water districts are meritless.
“DuPont de Nemours has never made or sold PFOA, PFOS or other perfluorinated compounds in California, or elsewhere” Turner told the Record. “These complaints are the latest example of DuPont being improperly named in litigation, and we look forward to vigorously defending our position.”
Plaintiffs in the case have requested a jury trial, the complaint says.