City may receive payout from PFAS settlement

By Grace Lovins

Birmingham could receive money from the Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) legal settlement involving per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) contamination.

The city is currently a partner with the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) and is eligible to participate in the settlement as a public water system.

The city’s commission adopted a resolution during the Monday, June 22, meeting that allows city manager Jana Ecker to execute a legal services agreement with Stag Liuzza, LLC, which allows the city to pursue potential cost reimbursements through 3M and DuPont public drinking water settlements. Commissioners approved the item as part of the meeting’s consent agenda and was not pulled for additional discussion.

According to the memorandum included in the meeting packet, city engineer Melissa Coatta explained that the city’s partnership with GLWA qualifies them as a public water system. The AFFF settlement is tied to the firefighting foam that has historically contained PFAS.

PFAS are synthetic chemicals that do not readily break down in the environment or human body, Coatta explained. Their use in firefighting foam at military installations, airports and fire training facilities has contributed to the contamination of groundwater and public drinking water supplies nationwide.

The memorandum notes that the settlement payments for public water systems began last year with more claim deadlines set for 2026. Any money the city receives from the settlement will be put in the city’s water fund.