Town of Pittsboro files lawsuit against chemical companies for water contamination

On Tuesday night, Pittsboro town leaders explained their decision to file a lawsuit against multiple chemical companies.

The suit says those groups are responsible for contaminating their water supply from the Haw River. Residents have had to foot the bill to clean it.

The Town of Pittsboro has spent millions identifying and removing PFAS chemicals – toxic synthetic pollutants – from drinking water. Now, they want the chemical manufacturers to pay up.

The Town of Pittsboro's complaint lists almost two dozen defendants, including 3M and DuPont. Town officials argue the defendants knew about the risks of PFAS chemicals and continued manufacturing them anyway. It also alleges the companies concealed and misrepresented the human health and environmental impacts.

"The manufacturers of these pollutants need to be held accountable," said Emily Sutton, the Haw Riverkeeper.

The Haw River Assembly has been involved in litigation for years to eliminate pollution from the source, while the town is now taking on the manufacturers.

"I am hopeful for this. I'm encouraged to see that the Town of Pittsboro is taking meaningful action to protect their community," said Sutton.

The town has added a new treatment system to remove the chemicals from water. That upgrade cost them $3.5 million.

Town Commissioner Kyle Shipp said it's not right that residents have had to pay to clean up someone else's mess.

"We've had to make some hard choices as commissioners," said Shipp, who says they had to 'empty the piggy bank' to help pay for everything.

"We've also had to raise our water rates significantly to refill the piggy bank and pay for the operational costs," he said. "We think it was the right thing to do, and it's important for the health of our residents – but it's definitely a significant cost."

Shipp says the litigation will take time. Meanwhile, Pittsboro is seeking state funding to deal with other chemicals in the water.