Stella residents sue 3M and Rhinelander paper mill for PFAS contamination of private wells

By Danielle Kaeding | Wisconsin Public Radio | August 18, 2023

Read the full article by Danielle Kaeding (Wisconsin Public Radio)

"Town of Stella residents have filed a lawsuit against Minnesota-based 3M and a Rhinelander paper mill over waste spread on farmland that they say is responsible for PFAS contamination of private wells.

Lucas and Alisha Rougeau, Carrie and Kerry Brenton, and Timothy and Melissa Gerdman filed the suit last week in federal court against the two companies and other unnamed "John Doe" defendants. They say Ahlstrom Rhinelander LLC and previous mill owners spread waste that contained PFAS on farm fields in Oneida County, causing unsafe levels of the chemicals in private wells.

"It was this 'land application' of waste that caused Plaintiffs’ wells to be among the most contaminated in the country for PFAS," the complaint states."