Kirstin Davis, Communications Manager, 509.625.7773
Wednesday, April 19, 2023 at 1:55 p.m.
Updated 04/20/2023
The City of Spokane announced it received a $6.7 million check this week as part of the legal settlement around PCB water contamination. The money will be used for projects that improve the health of the Spokane River.
“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,” said Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward.
“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,” said Council President Breean Beggs.
As one of only a dozen named plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit against Monsanto, the City was instrumental in achieving the settlement, which provided a total of $550 million distributed to more than 2,500 governmental jurisdictions across the nation. Spokane County and the City of Spokane Valley also are expected to receive a combined total of over $6 million as a result of the settlement.
Because of its status as a named plaintiff and its specific work on the lawsuit, the City was eligible to apply for additional money from the settlement, but it has not been notified yet about the result of that application.
Overall, the community will benefit through projects that support reduction of PCBs going to the Spokane River, protecting this resource now and for future generations.
The City’s lawsuit against Monsanto was filed in July 2015, and City Legal and Public Works staff endeavored over the last 8 years to provide documentation and data related to PCB contamination of the City’s stormwater and wastewater systems. The City’s lawsuit ultimately was rolled into a class action settlement over the environmental damage caused by PCBs, polychlorinated biphenyls, which were manufactured by Monsanto between the 1930s and 1977.
The other named plaintiffs included the City of Tacoma, the City of Portland, the Port of Portland, the City of Berkeley, the City of Oakland, the City of San Jose, County of Los Angeles, City of Long Beach, City of San Diego, City of Chula Vista, City of Baltimore, and Baltimore County. The cases were collectively litigated for over 5 years and were mediated and resolved through JAMS Mediator Judge (Ret.) Jay Gandhi.
The City was represented in the case by former City Attorney Mike Ormsby and Assistant City Attorneys Elizabeth Schoedel and Sam Faggiano, along with a variety of outside Counsel.
For more about how the City tracks PCBs, please watch this 2019 video.
