California city in 10-year legal battle over groundwater contamination awarded damages

After a week-long trial, a federal jury has awarded the City of Pomona $48 million in damages from SQM North America Corp., a subsidiary of a large Chilean mining company, for the costs of cleanup of the toxic chemical perchlorate from the city’s groundwater supply. Fertilizer sold by SQMNA and used for decades in the citrus orchards of Pomona had been tainted with perchlorate which ended up in Pomona’s drinking water supplies.   

“After 10 long years, Pomona has achieved its goal which is to make sure that the citizens of our city will not have to pay the cost of cleaning up a mess created by a large foreign corporation doing business in our city," said Pomona  City Manager James Makshanoff. "This is not only a win for our community, but it is a win for all communities because it tells big corporations who are polluting our water and threatening the health of our citizens that they will be brought to justice. The city is grateful to our attorneys at SL Environmental Law Group whose expertise and perseverance were critical to the successful outcome of our case.”