RICHMOND, VA, DECEMBER 15, 2016 -- The DuPont company has agreed to pay a settlement of $50 million related to a mercury spill in the 1930s and '40s.
The metal came from the Waynesboro, Va., facility, and persists in the environment today, appearing in local rivers and floodplains.
While the state approved the settlement, it still requires federal approval.
According to the Washington Post, monitoring conducted over the past 20 years shows that mercury levels have not decreased since the E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company plant released mercury into the South River and South Fork Shenandoah Rivers.
Under the proposed settlement, the company would pay $42 million for environmental restoration projects. Up to $10 million would be allocated for renovations to a local fish hatchery.
If approved, the settlement would be the largest natural-resource damage settlement in state history.
Read more here.
