​ Jury Awards City of Pomona After 10-Year Legal Battle Over Groundwater Contamination

After a week-long trial, a federal jury awarded the City of Pomona, California, $48 million in damages from SQM North America Corporation — a subsidiary of a large Chilean mining company — for the costs of perchlorate cleanup from the city’s groundwater supply. Fertilizer sold by SQMNA and used for decades in the citrus orchards of Pomona had been tainted with perchlorate which ended up in Pomona’s drinking water supplies. James Makshanoff, city manager for the City of Pomona, says Pomona has achieved its goal in making sure the city's citizens don't have to pay the cost of cleaning up a