(CNN)Two lawsuits have been filed on behalf of residents of Denmark, South Carolina, where a CNN investigation revealed that a chemical was being added to the water supply for 10 years without EPA approval.
One of the lawsuits seeks to have water bills reimbursed for that time period and alleges that the local government had no right to make people pay for water that was not potable.
Both suits are class-action complaints, meaning they potentially represent all of the nearly 3,000 residents of Denmark.
Bakari Sellers is an attorney who filed one of the suits on behalf of residents.
The suit filed on behalf of three named Denmark residents, representing the class, alleges that "Plaintiffs were damaged by Defendant’s conduct as Plaintiffs purchased and consumed water that included a chemical that was not approved by the EPA and was not determined to be safe to people or the environment."
The mayor of Denmark, Gerald Wright, told CNN that he did not have a statement at this time regarding the two lawsuits.
A spokesman for the Department of Health and Environmental Control told CNN it would be inappropriate to comment on pending litigation but previously told CNN that it believed HaloSan was safe for drinking water based on the way its manufacturer "advertised" the chemical.
"The Berry Systems HaloSan treatment unit had been advertised as an effective treatment in the control of iron bacteria and was certified," said Tommy Crosby, director of media relations for the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.
Residents like Paula Brown and Eugene Smith have been collecting water samples for years, suspicious of the quality.
The second lawsuit, brought by attorney John Harrell, was filed against the City of Denmark, along with Denmark’s Public Water System.