Under the terms of the agreement, Wolverine will pay approximately $8 million dollars to Plainfield Charter Township no later than January 25th of this year, bringing the total amount paid to the township to $51 million dollars. Wolverine will then be required to make additional payments each April until the $69.5 million dollar settlement is paid in full by 2027.
Wolverine World Wide was a former tannery in Rockford. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl contaminants from the tannery, commonly known as PFAS, were found in local groundwater, leading to the contamination of drinking water around Rockford and Belmont.
Environmental lawyer for Plainfield Charter Township Doug Van Essen explains what that settlement money would be used for.
“It will enable Plainfield to use that $8 million dollars on unexpected PFAS-related costs.”
Examples of those unexpected costs would be a new water tank due to low pressure in affected areas, along with hiring extra workers to monitor those levels.
Van Essen says the benefit to the community can’t be understated.
“The bottom line is instead of users of the system having to pay some of these PFAS-related costs, Wolverine’s going to pay for them through this surplus. So for the community, this is a big win.”
