A federal judge in Charleston has ordered Chemours to control water pollution from its plant in Wood County.
U.S. District Judge Joseph Goodwin told Chemours to comply with federal limits on the discharge of PFAS, or forever chemicals, from its Washington Works plant.
The West Virginia Rivers Coalition sued Chemours in December, alleging the company had been violating the Clean Water Act for five years.
A federal permit limits how much PFAS the company can discharge into the Ohio River. Testing has shown elevated levels of PFAS in the river as far as Cincinnati and Louisville, Kentucky.
Exposure to PFAS is known to cause cancer and other illnesses, and complications during pregnancy.
“In this case, there is no ambiguity: Defendant Chemours has discharged unpermitted levels of toxic pollutants into the Ohio River,” Goodwin wrote in a preliminary injunction Thursday. “Defendant knows that it has been violating its permit, and it is likely to continue. As a direct result, the public is exposed to real and ongoing harm.”
Goodwin ordered Chemours to take any measures necessary to comply with its permit. That includes production changes, process modifications, offsite treatment – and halting production.
Goodwin wrote that the permit is not a suggestion.
“The Clean Water Act protects the public,” Goodwin wrote, “and I will enforce it.”
Copyright 2025 West Virginia Public Broadcasting
