A water and sewer company is suing 14 companies for contaminating numerous rivers and waterways in South Carolina, per reports by WMBF News. Grand Strand Water and Sewer Authority, a utility company based in the Carolinas, filed a lawsuit for alleged PFAS pollution.

What's happening?

Grand Strand Water and Sewer Authority (GSWSA) claims that 14 major corporations have been dumping PFAS — toxic forever chemicals — into multiple waterways, contaminating key supplies of drinking water.

Per reports by WMBF News, the companies discharged PFAS into the Pee Dee watershed, which flows into water intakes such as Bull Creek and Intracoastal Waterway. The lawsuit noted that contaminating those three water sources alone affects the water supply for over 115,000 customers in Horry County.

Other contaminated sites listed in the lawsuit include the Great Pee Dee River, Lynches River, Lumber River, Little Pee Dee River, Lynches Swamp, Black Creek, and the Waccamaw River.

According to the lawsuit, GSWSA claims the companies contaminated the above water sources "at concentrations exceeding what the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency deems unsafe for consumption."

GSWSA also noted that new water treatment technologies would be required to remove PFAS and supply safe drinking water to their customers.

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Why is GSWSA's lawsuit important?

GSWSA's lawsuit is important because it addresses PFAS pollution by major corporations. When companies discharge forever chemicals into waterways, they threaten the health of the public and the environment.

According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, PFAS-contaminated drinking water can cause increased cholesterol levels, changes in liver enzymes, hormone disruption, decreases in infant birth weights, and increased risk of kidney or testicular cancers.

From an environmental standpoint, PFAS can disrupt the entire local ecosystem. When PFAS enter waterways and the surrounding soil, they do not break down. As a result, marine and land organisms can ingest these toxic chemicals as well.

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What's being done about PFAS water contamination?

Along with filing the lawsuit, GSWSA is asking the companies to remove the forever chemicals from the waterways. The lawsuit proposes that the 14 corporations fund projects to install new treatment technology to remove the PFAS from the water.