SPOKANE, Wash. — The City of Spokane received nearly $7 million this week as part of a legal settlement around contamination in the city's water systems.
The city was awarded $6.7 million in settlement funds following the nearly eight-year legal battle with a United States seed production company that reportedly contaminated the Spokane River. The money will be used for projects to improve the health of the river.
“It isn’t often that polluters are actually held accountable and I commend the City’s legal team and public works staff for their efforts in supporting a cleaner Spokane River for all people,” Spokane City Council President Breean Beggs said in a statement.
A lawsuit was filed against Monsanto, the world's largest seed producer, in July 2015 by the city of Spokane. The suit claimed the company was responsible for contaminating the Spokane River with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), hazardous chemicals that can have dangerous impacts on the environment and health.
In the lawsuit, the city said Monsanto was responsible for contaminating the stormwater and wastewater systems with PCBs, which Monsanto manufactured between 1930-1977. For eight years, the city worked to provide documents and data proving the contamination.
Spokane was not the only city involved in the lawsuit; a dozen cities across the country were named as plaintiffs in the suit. In total, more than $550 million in settlement funds was given to more than 2,500 government agencies in the United States.
Spokane County and the city of Spokane Valley are also expected to get a combined total of more than $6 million.
“As a result of the City’s years of hard work and diligence, the Spokane River, our most sacred resource will continue to be protected and safe for future generations,” Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward said in a statement.
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