September 1, 2022

US "Carpet Capital" Facing Legal Action for PFAS Disposal

US "Carpet Capital" Facing Legal Action for PFAS Disposal

September 1, 2022

Residents for Rome, Georgia are asking courts to halt dumping of upstream carpet dye wastewaters that cannot be treated by most traditional municipal sewage systems.  Dalton Georgia produces ~90% of the US’ carpet, which is made out of synthetic fibers that are dyed with many “emerging contaminant” and difficult-to-treat chemicals.  This water flows downstream to Rome after being semi-treated by plants that were never designed for these ultra-small contaminants.  One such chemical is PFAS, thought to be a carcinogen, and which is very difficult to separate from wastewater due to its small size.  Even when separated, this “forever chemical” can only be destroyed via an incinerator at ~1,800F.  Some of these carpet companies have already settled with the plaintiffs, agreeing to send their water to a hazardous waste facility (see second article), presumably at much higher cost.  EcoVAP’s ability to reduce this wastewater volume by >90% could dramatically reduce this cost.  


Articles:


https://www.courthousenews.com/panel-asked-to-hold-georgias-carpet-capital-liable-for-contaminated-drinking-water/


https://www.law360.com/articles/1539836/ga-carpet-finishing-co-settles-pfas-water-pollution-claims

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