Eau Claire County Board Approves Outside Firm for PFAS Lawsuits

Eau Claire County could turn to an outside firm to pursue legal action against PFAS manufactures contaminating the drinking water supply.

The Eau Claire County Board approved a resolution to seek legal action against manufacturers of PFAS in the area this week.

Addressing PFAS contamination in the water supply has become a major focus across the state over recent years. In the Eau Claire area, the Chippewa Valley Regional Airport has been the focus of those efforts after years of using a firefighting foam that contained the toxic forever chemicals.

County Board Supervisor for District 13 Connie Russell explained that the resolution would authorize the Eau Claire County Administrator to contract with outside legal counsel to pursue compensation for damages related to PFAS contamination.

Many municipalities, including the City of Eau Claire, have also turned to legal action for the funding needed to address PFAS contamination. Last May, City officials announced they had received the first portion of a $9.4 million settlement with 3M over the forever chemicals. Part of that settlement will also go towards the construction costs of the new $20 million PFAS removal facility at the Water Treatment Plant.

Sharon McIlquham is corporation counsel for Eau Claire County. She also highlighted that the resolution only authorizes the engagement of outside counsel on a contingency fee basis.

“Some of them required an upfront payment,” she said. “This law firm agreed to do it completely on a contingency fee, which means we don’t have to front any money to retain them. So I would say this issue came to us, really through the airport director.”

Corporation Counsel staff recommended the County Board of Supervisors contract with Baron and Budd, P.C., a national law firm that specializes in large-scale class action lawsuits and is endorsed by the Wisconsin Counties Association. The resolution passed 24 to 1.