North Carolina and 11 local government entities have secured a $455 million settlement from Chemours, DuPont, and Corteva after accusing the companies of contaminating drinking water with PFAS, the chemicals widely known as "forever chemicals."
Here's what to know
Those claims focused on contamination connected to Chemours' Fayetteville Works plant and other earlier discharges, according to The Guardian.
Rather than a one-time payout, the agreement spreads payments across 15 years, with the schedule starting within 30 days after execution. Chemours said it expects to pay about $50 million over the 12 months following the Sept. 10 agreement.
The companies will divide the cost according to their 2021 arrangement, with Chemours taking on half and DuPont and Corteva sharing the remainder. The deal also settles claims from North Carolina and local governments not included in the U.S. public water system class settlement approved in 2024.
Its reach extends beyond Fayetteville Works. The settlement also includes North Carolina's claims over PFAS contamination unrelated to that facility, including pollution tied to aqueous film-forming foam.
More background
PFAS are often called "forever chemicals" because they do not break down easily, which means contamination can remain in water supplies and the environment for years.
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That leaves local governments and water systems with difficult choices: spend heavily on testing and treatment, fight for cleanup in court, or ask residents to live with uncertainty about what comes out of their taps. In many places, those costs ultimately fall on taxpayers and ratepayers.
Across the country, PFAS cases have already resulted in settlements worth billions of dollars, including a 2025 New Jersey agreement involving these same three companies.
What's being done?
The settlement could help cover response costs.
According to The Guardian, Chemours said the agreement reflects steps taken under its 2019 consent order with North Carolina, including investments aimed at cutting PFAS pollution and addressing off-site impacts.
The $455 million agreement will not erase years of anxiety over contaminated water, but it adds to a growing reality: When companies leave communities with the fallout from "forever chemicals," the public increasingly expects them to help pay for the damage.
Where can I learn more?
North Carolina's settlement is one piece of a much larger fight over who pays for PFAS contamination and other toxic pollution. The stories here show how states, counties, and residents are pushing polluters to cover cleanup when drinking water is at stake.
• In Robeson County, residents say drinking water contamination was worsened by a leaking landfill.
• In New Jersey, 3M reached a historic settlement over years of toxic water contamination.
• Maryland sued Gore-Tex maker W.L. Gore over harmful chemical pollution tied to PFAS.
• Near the Anacostia River, Pepco agreed to pay more than $50 million over contamination.
Each case starts in one community, but PFAS and other toxic pollution battles rarely stay local. That's why more communities are pushing to leave those costs with polluters instead of the public.
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