Mountaire Has Agreed to Pay a $205 Million Settlement due to Groundwater Pollution
Two legal settlements will cost one of the largest chicken producers in the country $205 million over claims its Delaware plant disposed of wastewater and sludge that polluted nearby waterways, private water wells, and surrounding air, according to lawyers involved in the case.
A class-action settlement with Mountaire Corp. includes $65 million that will be put into a fund for residents whose properties were affected by the company’s Sussex County plant. In a separate action, the company will spend $140 million to upgrade its treatment system. The settlement is the result of two separate court actions. One was filed in Delaware Superior Court on behalf of residents, and the second was a civil suit filed in U.S. District Court by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC).
