originally posted on August 12, 2016

A new lawsuit has been filed over claims of chemical contamination in a north Alabama utility where residents were warned not to drink their tap water.

The lawsuit was filed by an Anniston-based law firm on behalf of more than 150 Lawrence and Morgan County residents who get their water from the West Morgan-East Lawrence Water Authority.

The suit names the water system plus 3M Co., subsidiary Dyneon and Daikin America Inc.

The lawsuit is the fourth over allegations that companies are to blame for chemical contamination in the utility’s water. New federal standards resulted in the authority warning residents not to drink the water in May, but they’ve since backed off that stance.

The companies say they followed federal environmental rules and deny wrongdoing.