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The Village of Endicott has 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, claims that IBM’s operations at its facilities located at 1701 North Street in Endicott from 1911 to 2002 led to the contamination of soil, surface water, and groundwater.
According to the suit, IBM used industrial solvents to clean metal parts in degreasers at the Endicott campus, and the company is accused of improperly disposing of those solvents, which allegedly leaked into the ground through drainage pipes.
The complaint highlights several incidents beginning in 1979, during which IBM used liquid cleaning agents for over two decades.
The suit cites six recorded spills and leaks, including one in 1979 involving 4,100 gallons of solvent from an underground tank, which contained TCA (methylchloroform or 1,1,1-trichloroethane).
In 2002, a significant underground chemical plume was discovered south of the IBM campus, spreading across 350 acres. The lawsuit claims the vapor released from this plume was primarily caused by trichloroethylene (TCE), a chemical linked to cancer and other health issues.
The village’s lawsuit asserts that, as a result of IBM’s actions, the local wells became contaminated with hazardous chemicals, causing damage to property and requiring the village to incur significant costs for cleanup and mitigation.
The Village of Endicott is suing IBM for multiple violations, including those under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), public nuisance, failure to warn, negligence, trespass, and seeking punitive damages.
The village is also requesting a jury trial and is seeking both compensatory and punitive damages.
