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Pike Water Inc. reassures customers their drinking water is safe after filing a lawsuit against chemical companies

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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) —Pike Water Inc. has posted a message on its website assuring customers that although “forever chemicals” have been detected in its water sources, their drinking water is safe.

Pike Water Inc. posted a notice to its webpage, reassuring customers that their water is safe.
The company posted a notice to its webpage, reassuring customers that their water is safe. [Pike Water]
The company said the notice to customers was in response to media coverage of a lawsuit that it filed in federal court against multiple chemical companies over the alleged contamination.

“While PFAS (also known as “forever chemicals”) have been detected in the Pike Water Inc.’s water sources, multiple testing results from 2023 to 2024 confirmed that treated water served by Pike Water Inc. tested below federal Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) standards for PFAS compounds,” the notice said.

The water company, which provides drinking water to six southeast Ohio counties, including Pike, Jackson and Scioto, filed a lawsuit in April against AGC Chemicals Americas Inc. and 14 other companies. The suit alleges these chemical companies designed, manufactured, marketed, distributed, and/or sold “forever chemicals” that have been linked to cancer and pregnancy complications. The lawsuit said these chemicals were discovered on the company’s property.

The name “forever chemicals” is a reference to the fact that they do not naturally biodegrade in the environment. The lawsuit notes these compounds can move easily through soil and groundwater and pose a significant risk to environmental and human health and safety.

“By filing this lawsuit, Pike Water Inc. is taking decisive action to ensure that any financial burden of addressing PFAS contamination does not fall solely on its ratepayers,” the website notice said.

The company is seeking through the lawsuit to recover costs for monitoring, treatment and remediation of contaminated areas.