Mill Pond on a fall day. Photo: Shutterstock
June 11, 2024 Update: On Monday, June 10, 2024, Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) filed a complaint in US District Court in Massachusetts against Patriot Beverages. The full complaint can be found here.
April 10, 2024 (BOSTON, MA) – Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) has notified Patriot Beverages, a Pepsi-product manufacturing and bottling company, of its intent to sue for Clean Water Act violations at its facility in Littleton, Massachusetts. The company’s wastewater and stormwater discharges are polluting Reedy Meadow Brook and Mill Pond with toxic chemicals and heavy metals, like aluminum and phosphorus.
“Poor water quality in Mill Pond has been plaguing the community for years. Harmful pollution from Patriot Beverages’ facility is contaminating precious waters used for recreation and home to wildlife,” said Heather Govern, Vice President of CLF’s Clean Air and Water program. “This facility needs to own up to its unlawful actions and prioritize putting an end to this pollution for good.”
Patriot Beverages’ wastewater and stormwater discharges include harmful chemicals like aluminum and phosphorus, and dangerously high pH levels and high temperatures. These toxic pollutants flow from Patriot Beverages’ site directly into nearby waterbodies, causing poor water quality and harming natural ecosystems and wildlife.
CLF experts are available for further comment.
###