Evansville Water and Sewer Utility to receive more than $374,000 in class action lawsuit settlement involving the weed killer atrazine

EVANSVILLE WATER & SEWER UTILITY

1 N.W. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. BLVD, ROOM 104, EVANSVILLE, INDIANA 47708

PO Box 19, Evansville, IN 47740-0001

Jan. 22, 2013 Contact: Allen Mounts

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Evansville Water and Sewer Utility to receive more than $374,000 in class action lawsuit settlement involving the weed killer atrazine

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The Evansville Water and Sewer Utility will receive $374,095.86 as a result of the $105 million settlement of a national class action lawsuit regarding the herbicide atrazine. The settlement will help reimburse the costs of removing the weed killer from the City’s water system. Atrazine is sprayed on crops and frequently runs off of fields and into waterways that are sources for drinking water.

The lawsuit was filed against Syngenta, the world’s largest atrazine manufacturer, based in Switzerland. Evansville was one of 1,085 cities and towns across America awarded settlements. Settlement amounts were calculated based on the contamination history of the claimants. About 37 million people live in the areas served by the claimants in this case. The City of Evansville will receive the settlement check this week.

The judge in the case ruled that it is up to the water providers and the local governments to determine how the funds are used. The Utility will place the settlement funds in its general fund, which supports the operations and maintenance of the Water Filtration Plant. The Water Filtration Plant continuously monitors for any contaminants in the water it draws from the Ohio River and removes contaminants that may pose a threat to the health and safety of the Utility’s customers and our community.

The City of Evansville has not banned the use of atrazine but continues to monitor for its presence and will treat the source water as needed when contaminants are detected above the Environmental Protection Agency’s established threshold values.

The percentage of participation by class members was unprecedented, according to the case’s lead attorney, Stephen M. Tillery of the St. Louis law firm, Korein Tillery. “The scope of this settlement is enormous. Every cent of the settlement fund will be distributed to class members,” he said.

For more information about atrazine or the class action lawsuit, visit www.atrazinesettlement.com.