‘Historic’ $393M settlement reached to clean up PFAS contamination in South Jersey
| June 29, 2023
The Philadelphia Inquirer
New Jersey officials have reached a $393 million settlement with chemical maker Solvay Specialty Polymers that they are calling “historic.” The settlement, announced Wednesday, will clean up various locations across 37 square miles contaminated by “forever chemicals” in Gloucester and Camden Counties.
It is the largest settlement in state history regarding contamination emanating from a single company location, said New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin. Solvay, whose main plant is just off the Delaware River in West Deptford, Gloucester County, has had a contentious history in New Jersey for years.
“Under this agreement, Solvay will clean up per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS, and compensate the public for natural resource damages in the drinking water in a 37-square-mile area around Solvay’s chemical facility,” Platkin said in the announcement from Trenton.
The settlement comes after New Jersey sued Solvay in 2020, accusing it of ignoring a mandate that it clean up contaminated drinking water and other pollution linked to toxic compounds once produced at its West Deptford plant.
Recent Stories
