Tyco Fire Products settles PFAS suit, will pay $10 million and remediation costs

Tyco Fire Products LP will pay more than $10 million to settle an environmental lawsuit brought by the state of Wisconsin related to chemical spills. Tyco, a manufacturer of fire sprinklers and chemical flame retardants, was charged by the state’s Department of Natural Resources in connection to spills of PFAS — also known as “forever chemicals” — that contaminated drinking water around the company’s Marinette, Wisconsin Fire Technology Center.

The terms of the settlement, released June 4, require Tyco to provide clean drinking water for affected residents, including by digging deep drinking water wells; continue monitoring ground and surface water quality in the affected area; establish cleanup goals and submit regular progress reports to Wisconsin’s DNR; and pay $10 million into the state’s PFAS Trust Fund to help clean future PFAS contamination. According to state leadership, the settlement is one of the largest ever associated with its Department of Natural Resources.

According to Tyco Fire Products, the company detected PFAS at its Marinette property in 2013, but did not immediately notify the state. In an FAQ, Tyco said company officials initially believed the spill was contained to its own property and unnecessary to report to the state’s environmental agency. Three years later, Tyco detected more PFAS near the edge of its property and informed the state. Subsequent testing of area drinking wells in 2017 found levels of PFAS at more than 70 parts per trillion, above the state’s recommended drinking water standard.

The Tyco settlement isn’t the end of the story. In a release documenting the settlement, the Wisconsin statehouse noted it is still pursuing a separate lawsuit filed in 2022 targeting Tyco, Chemguard, 3M, DuPont, and other companies for allegedly contaminating natural resources with PFAS “knowingly and deceptively.”

What people are saying

“We are pleased to have reached an agreement with the State of Wisconsin that reflects the extensive work Tyco has undertaken to address PFAS associated with historic activities at the Marinette Fire Technology Center,” read an unsigned statement from Tyco Fire Products LP. “The settlement directs $10 million to the statewide PFAS Fund created by the Wisconsin Legislature and we're hopeful the state will return that money to the local community. Since 2017, we have invested significantly in long-term solutions including providing deep wells for clean, sustainable drinking water for our neighbors. In addition, our state-of-the-art groundwater extraction and treatment system has already treated hundreds of millions of gallons of water and will continue to return clean, safe water to the environment.”

“Today is a historic and important milestone in our fight to make sure every Wisconsinite has access to clean and safe drinking water, whether they live in Marinette or Stella or on French Island or anywhere in between. Every Wisconsinite should be able to trust the water coming from their tap. We’ve worked to lead the fight against PFAS from Day One of my administration, and today’s a key step toward making sure polluters are held accountable, take responsibility for their actions, and ensure Wisconsinites don’t have to foot the bill for cleaning up the messes that others made,” said Gov. Evers. “While today is an important victory, we know our work cannot stop. For the folks in Marinette, this day has been a long time coming, but we know that for so many families and communities across our state, dealing with PFAS pollution is still a daily reality. Here in Wisconsin, we must keep working to tackle PFAS head-on, and that includes continuing to hold PFAS polluters accountable for the damage they’ve caused and are causing across our state. That’s work we’re going to continue doing as long as I’m governor.”

 “The DNR will keep fighting to ensure that Tyco takes the necessary steps to restore the environment to the extent practicable,” said DNR Secretary Karen Hyun. “We will continue to listen to and collaborate with the community that has been affected by the environmental and human health impacts of PFAS for many years.”  

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