Read the full article by Blake Silvers (Rome News-Tribune)
“CALHOUN — A consent decree filed in a federal district court Thursday settled a recent water pollution case between the City of Calhoun and a pair of environmental groups.
Represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center, regional watchdog Coosa River Basin Initiative agreed to resolve a federal lawsuit that alleged the city allowed per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — better known as PFAS or ‘forever chemicals’ — in its drinking water supply.
If approved by the court, the agreement includes a multilayered plan going forward. The first portion is a plan to overhaul the city’s wastewater treatment plant pretreatment program to regulate PFAS thought to be associated with area industries. The second would be to conduct an extensive residential drinking water well investigation and remedy for qualified residents. The plan also requires that the city upgrade its drinking water plants to effectively remove the chemicals in the public water supply.”…