Dow, Shell, Other Companies Implicated in California TCP Suit

A California water utility has sued Dow Chemical Co., Shell Oil Co., four other companies and hundreds of yet-to-be discovered polluters for allegedly contaminating its drinking water supply with a toxic industrial solvent.

The Olivehurst Public Utility District, which provides drinking water to Olivehurst, Calif., north of Sacramento, is seeking unspecified damages from the companies after discovering 1,2,3-trichloropropane, or TCP, in its water supply wells, according to the complaint, which was filed Sept. 9 and docketed Thursday in California Superior Court.

TCP is a human-made solvent found at industrial and hazardous waste sites that is considered “probably carcinogenic” by ...