Last week, the U. S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia approved a class settlement to provide clean drinking water to residents affected by PFAS contamination in the City of Summerville water supply.

This follows a 2021 lawsuit filed by Earl Parris, Jr. , concerning PFAS levels in the city’s water that exceeded EPA safety standards. The contamination was linked to the Mount Vernon Mills, Inc. textile mill in Trion, Georgia, where discharges led to PFAS spreading into local water sources.

A $1 million Temporary Drinking Water Fund will be set up to supply bottled water or filters to Summerville water customers, managed by Settlement Administrator Ed Gentle. Residents will be informed about how to access these resources. Further settlements with other companies aim to expand the fund and ensure clean water availability until a permanent treatment system is built.

The City of Summerville has also settled with Pulcra to improve its water systems for removing PFAS.