The Village recently joined a Multi-District Litigation federal class action complaint against the manufacturers of products that contain per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (or “PFAS”), a class of manmade chemical compounds used in a variety of industrial and consumer products. One of those products is a fire-fighting foam that was used for decades at airports and military installations (AFFF – aqueous film-forming foam).
When used as directed by the manufacturers, the products release PFAS into the environment, causing soil and water contamination. Known as “forever chemicals,” PFAS compounds do not break down in the environment and will remain for decades unless clean-up efforts are undertaken.
When exposed to PFAS, plants, animals, and humans can be adversely affected. Although our water currently complies with all federal and state requirements, EPA has announced that it will soon issue a new federal standard, which may require additional filtration. The Village filed suit to recover the costs of removing all PFAS compounds from the water supplied to Village Utilities customers— a proactive move that will ensure that Village water quality exceeds what is required by the new regulation. This is an important step to both protect and even our water for the future. In addition, this action seeks to protect our local ratepayers from bearing the costs for these treatment costs; those costs should be borne by those who created the chemical and are responsible for its resulting contamination.
The Village is represented by a team of law firms with extensive utilities litigation experience, including Baron & Budd, P.C, and Cossich, Sumich, Parsiola & Taylor. The litigation is on a contingency fee basis, therefore, there is little financial risk to the Village.
If you have any questions, please contact Carin Faulkner at public.information@villagebhi.org.
View complaint HERE.