Salisbury, Maryland — Perdue Farms has been given 90 days to stop practices linked to PFAS contamination in groundwater and a nearby stream, following a formal Demand Letter sent by attorneys representing impacted residents. The Maryland Department of the Environment named Perdue as the responsible party after elevated PFAS levels were found near the company’s Agribusiness Center. The letter, citing the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, demands the company halt the disposal of PFAS-containing wastewater and sludge into lagoons and stop land application of the material. An engineering report submitted in an ongoing class action lawsuit highlights these methods as likely sources of contamination. Perdue says it’s supplying bottled water and installing filtration systems for homes where well testing shows PFAS above federal safety limits. So far, 356 residential wells in the area have tested above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s threshold. While Perdue attributes the contamination to a 2019 firefighting foam release, attorneys for the residents point to longer-term disposal practices dating back to 1989. The class action lawsuit filed in 2023 is still pending. A motion to dismiss by Perdue remains undecided, and the state’s investigation is ongoing.
