Lindsay wins $9.5M settlement in toxic water lawsuit

LINDSAY, Calif. ( KSEE/KGPE ) – The City of Lindsay has won a $9 million settlement after toxic chemicals were found in the city’s water supply.

Officials with the city say the lawsuit with a subsidiary of a Chilean mining company came after they discovered toxic chemicals in the city’s water supply – that they alleged came from the company’s fertilizer.

“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 Lindsay City Manager Daymon Qualls.

On Monday, officials with the city say they reached a settlement of $9.5 million with SQM North America Corporation, a subsidiary of Chilean mining company Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) de Chile, in a lawsuit seeking the costs of removing perchlorate, a toxic chemical, from the city’s drinking water supply.

After finding perchlorate in one of its drinking supply wells, city officials say they 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.

Perchlorate is a toxic chemical that can be particularly harmful to children as it disrupts hormones needed for healthy growth and development. According to officials, the chemical is banned from drinking water in California except at very low levels.

With the money from the settlement, city officials say they plan to install a specialized plant to remove the contaminant from the city’s water.

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