Campbell Soup was hit with a lawsuit from the Department of Justice and another from environmental groups on Wednesday over allegations that its plant in northwestern Ohio pollutes Lake Erie.
The DOJ accuses Campbell’s of since 2018 violating pollution restrictions outlined in permits for the Napoleon factory along the Lake Erie tributary Maumee River by discharging too many contaminants including phosphorous and bacteria, per Reuters.
That lawsuit, filed in Toledo on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency under the federal Clean Water Act, came hours after non-profits Environment America and Lake Erie Waterkeeper filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio against the company.
The complaints allege the company has committed thousands of Clean Water Act violations by “discharging wastewater with illegally high levels of phosphorous, the prime chemical contributor to Lake Erie’s algal blooms; E. coli bacteria; oil and grease; suspended solids and other harmful pollutants,” per an emailed statement from the groups.
Since receiving the law center’s notice of intent to sue in July 2023, the company has been in contact with the group and the DOJ to outline efforts to address permit compliance.
“We commend Campbell for its willingness to work cooperatively with us and the federal government to forthrightly address its longstanding compliance problems rather than spend its time litigating,” said Josh Kratka, a senior attorney at the National Environmental Law Center, in the group’s statement.
