SANFORD, Fla – Officials in Sanford have filed a lawsuit against the companies it believes are responsible for contaminating the city’s water.
News 6 reported in August that the Sanford officials voted unanimously to engage DSK Law to draft a complaint to let Florida officials know the city will sue if the state doesn’t sue first.
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Reports by The Orlando Sentinel brought to light higher levels of a contaminant called 1,4-dioxane in the water in Seminole County, Lake Mary and Sanford. The EPA says the compound is a likely carcinogen, used as a stabilizer in solvents and cleaners.
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The chemical has been linked to a former Siemens manufacturing site on Rinehart Road that closed in the early 2000s. The facility used to make telephone parts.
In addition to Siemens, the lawsuit that was filed on Oct. 17, names General Dynamics Corporation and Moni Holdings, LLC.
The lawsuit alleges that the defendants used 1,4-dioxane to “stabilize and extend the life and utility of” trichloroethylene and trichloroethane which “among other purposes, cleaning of parts, equipment and cleaning drains.”
It also stated that 1,4-dioxane is “entirely soluble” and does not stick or absorb into soil particles, making it easily transported through soil and into groundwater where it can “migrate very long distances.”
“1,4-Dioxane contamination posed a substantial threat to public health and welfare,” the suit continues.
The city is planning to build a new water treatment plant that can better handle the 1,4-dioxane levels in the water. They hope to use state and federal funding sources to help pay for it, but as Sanford Mayor Art Woodruff told News 6 in 2023, the city also hopes to make whoever is responsible pay for it.
Meanwhile, the city says it continues to test its water for safety and has diversified its water sources to make sure levels of 1,4-dioxane stay below standards.
You can read more about 1,4-dioxane and how the city of Sanford is addressing it by clicking here.
To entire 66-page lawsuit can be found below:
Sanford Lawsuit by Jacob Langston on Scribd