WVSU files lawsuit against Dow Chemical for water pollution.
INSTITUTE, W.Va. — West Virginia State University announced Thursday it has filed a lawsuit against Dow Chemical Company and other former owners of Dow’s Institute plant for underground water contamination on the university’s campus.
“While there is no threat to the health, wellness or safety to the students, faculty and staff, Dow contamination of our campus has potentially adversely impacted the brand, reputation, use of future property, the cost of future construction and potential enrollment growth here at the institution,” Jenkins said during a Thursday press conference at the university.
The discovery was made about four years ago.
He said Enviroprobe and Dow collected about 150 samples of groundwater, soil gas, surface soil and air on campus.
Moore said the chemicals have moved beyond the rehab center property.
“Groundwater has been shown to extend eastward from their facility across and onto the rehab property and onto the main campus,” he said.
Jenkins said the rehab property represented the future of the university because it was the only land available for significant growth, such as the construction of residential units or the rebuilding of a new rehab center.
In a letter to university students, faculty and staff, Jenkins said groundwater is not used at the university and that all of their water comes from the municipal water supplied by West Virginia American Water Company.
More information about court documents and testing data can be found here.