Several Town of Peshtigo residents have filed suit over PFAS contamination. The suits allege the plaintiffs suffered damage to their health and property from PFAS contamination resulting from industrial processes at local industries including TYCO/JCI and Chemguard/Chemdesign, but also claim that the dredging of the Menekaunee Harbor in 2014 also resulted in PFAS contamination. The lawsuit names contractors Robert E. Lee and Associates, Ayres and Associates, and Sevenson Environmental Services who were hired by the City of Marinette in connection with the dredging project. The lawsuit alleges the river sediments contained PFAS due to the proximity of the river to the manufacturers who used the compounds but the sediments were not tested for the PFAS compounds before being disposed of at sever Marinette County locations, thus causing PFAS contamination at the sites, and causing them harm to the plaintiffs.

Marinette Mayor Steve Genisot informed the Marinette City Council of the lawsuits Tuesday night. The mayor says, “although the city is not named as a party in the lawsuits, the city will have to spend considerable amount of staff time for the City of Marinette as there have been extensive requests made for documents in possession of the City.”