DuPont agrees to $65 million payout to Ohio EPA in settling

Columbus — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Director John Logue recently announced details on the distribution of $65 million in funding from a 2023 environmental restoration settlement with DuPont.

The settlement agreement stems from a lawsuit DeWine filed against DuPont while serving as Ohio’s attorney general in 2018. The lawsuit accused DuPont of releasing perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) into the air and the Ohio River from its Washington Works facility in Parkersburg, W.Va., despite knowing the risks the chemical posed to public health and the environment.

The payment of the settlement funds was delayed until this year due to legal appeals. Final approval for the release of the funding was given by the Ohio Controlling Board in early April.

Funding will be distributed to Belmont, Gallia, Lawrence, Meigs, Morgan, and Washington counties. The funding will support local drinking water infrastructure projects in more than a dozen Ohio communities.

“Access to safe drinking water is essential for every Ohio community,” said DeWine. “These funding awards will be used to make critical improvements to local water systems that will protect public health and strengthen drinking water infrastructure for years to come.”

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Ohio was the first state to legally challenge DuPont for its use of PFOA, a type of synthetic per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) chemical that has been linked to serious health issues. DuPont manufactured Teflon products using PFOA from the 1950s to 2013.

The $65 million will fund projects that develop new drinking water sources, connect smaller water systems to larger regional systems, install treatment infrastructure to remove PFAS from public water systems, and connect private wells with PFAS detections to nearby public water systems.

Many of the projects are expected to be fully funded through the settlement, helping communities address contamination without additional costs to local utilities.

“This settlement ensures resources are going directly to the communities that need them,” said Logue. “Ohio EPA is focused on getting these projects moving so residents have safe, reliable drinking water and long-term protections for Ohio families.”

Ohio EPA has worked closely with local leaders, water systems, and community stakeholders to identify projects that are shovel-ready and provide the most effective solutions, according to a news release on the settlement.