— Ken Sansone, senior partner at SL Environmental Law Group
LINDSAY, CA, UNITED STATES, September 20, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ — The City of Lindsay announced a $9.5 million settlement with SQM North America Corporation (case number 1:11-cv-00046-LHR-EPG), a subsidiary of large Chilean mining company Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile, in a lawsuit seeking the costs of removing the toxic chemical perchlorate from the City’s drinking water supply. After finding perchlorate in one of its drinking water supply wells, the City deactivated that well, and filed a lawsuit against SQM, claiming that the contamination resulted from applications of defective fertilizer SQM had imported in the first half of the 20th century. The City was represented by SL Environmental Law Group, an environmental law firm that has spent the past twenty years helping municipalities and utilities recover water contamination costs.
Perchlorate is a toxic chemical that can be particularly harmful to children as it disrupts hormones needed for healthy growth and development. It is banned from drinking water in the State of California except at very low levels. To treat the perchlorate in its well, Lindsay plans to install a specialized plant to remove the contaminant from its water, which is anticipated to cost several million dollars to design, build, and operate. The settlement will assist in defraying those costs.
“Protecting the health and safety of Lindsay’s residents is our top priority. This resolution is a significant step in safeguarding the health of our community and ensuring a safe, clean water supply for our residents now and into the future,” said Daymon Qualls, City Manager of Lindsay.
“SQM knew that its fertilizer would likely pollute groundwater, yet failed to take reasonable and available steps to reduce levels of perchlorate in its products,” said Ken Sansone, senior partner at SL Environmental Law Group. “Through this settlement, the City of Lindsay will ensure that the substantial costs of cleaning up its water resources won’t have to be borne by its citizens. We are proud to have had the opportunity to represent the City and satisfied with the outcome.”
—–
About SL Environmental Law Group
SL Environmental Law Group focuses exclusively on water contamination litigation on behalf of city and state governments, public and private water utilities, and other well owners. SL Environmental Law Group has delivered over $1.2 billion from corporate polluters to their clients. For more information visit www.slenvironment.com.
For media inquiries, contact:
Valentina Marastoni-Bieser – SL Environmental Law Group
vbieser@slenvironment.com
Tori Andrews
Boeh Agency
+1 404-406-6607
email us here
Visit us on social media:
LinkedIn
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability
for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this
article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
