Vinyl Chloride Troubles Louisiana Aquifer

Vinyl Chloride

Plaquemine, Louisiana has a vinyl chloride problem and recently a judge ordered Dow Chemical Company to clean it up. Dow claims it isn't responsible and has been working with the state and federal government to remediate the substance that is in the groundwater and the UpperPlaquemine Aquifer.

The judge's ruling comes in the wake of a class action lawsuit against Dow by several thousand landowners.

According to Plaquemine's website its name comes from an Indian word meaning persimmon, because of all the persimmon trees that grow along the bayou there. Plaquemine is also older than the country, and sits next to the Mississippi. New Orleans is just 80 miles east.

The lawyer for the plaintiffs says he will argue for a more aggressive stance from regulators when overseeing what Dow does to cleanup the problem. Here's one story and here's Plaqueville's website.