BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 20, 2026
Maine municipalities are joining a national movement to sue large chemical companies whose products polluted wastewater systems and sent sewage disposal costs soaring. Ten Maine lawsuits have added to the thousands across America against 3M, DuPont and 18 more companies that made PFAS or sold products containing them. The towns aim to recover costs to restore tainted wastewater treatment systems and dispose of PFAS-laden sewage solids. The legal strategy by the municipalities rests on the success of a similar nationwide lawsuit where a large group sued over contaminated public drinking water systems. DuPont and 3M settled that case in 2023, agreeing to pay more than $13 billion over 13 years across the 10,000-plus plaintiffs.