The Village of Endicott filed a lawsuit against IBM, alleging that the company contaminated its water supply with hazardous chemicals, including 1,4-dioxane, PFAS, and other toxic substances.
The lawsuit, filed earlier this month, alleges that operations at IBM’s facility at 1701 North St. in Endicott from 1911 to 2002 resulted in contamination of soil, surface water and groundwater.
According to the complaint, IBM uses industrial solvents to clean metal parts in degreasing equipment at its Endicott campus, and the company is accused of improperly disposing of those solvents, which are then flushed into the ground through drainage pipes. It is said that it was leaked.
The complaint cites several incidents that began in 1979, when IBM had been using liquid cleaning products for more than 20 years.
The lawsuit cites six recorded spills and leaks, including one in 1979 in which 4,100 gallons of solvent from an underground tank containing TCA (methylchloroform or 1,1,1-trichloroethane) This includes leaks.
In 2002, a significant underground chemical plume was discovered south of the IBM campus, extending over 350 acres. The lawsuit alleges that the vapors released from the plume were primarily caused by trichlorethylene (TCE), a chemical linked to cancer and other health problems.
The village’s lawsuit alleges that as a result of IBM’s actions, local wells were contaminated with hazardous chemicals, property damage was caused, and the village was required to incur significant cleanup and mitigation costs.
Endicott Village is suing IBM for multiple violations, including violations under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), public nuisance, failure to warn, negligence, trespass, and claims for punitive damages.
The village is also requesting a jury trial and is seeking both compensatory and punitive damages.
