Salisbury residents react, Perdue applies for wastewater permit renewal amid PFAS lawsuit
Salisbury, Md. – On Wednesday, residents gathered at Wor-Wic Community College to attend a public hearing hosted by the Maryland Department of the Environment to submit comments for Perdue’s application for a wastewater permit renewal for its Zion Church Road facility.
However, many residents were plaintiffs in the class action suit against Perdue for PFAS (also known as “forever chemicals”) contamination and voiced concerns about the permit renewal. According to MDE officials, the Perdue facility can discharge up to 200,000 gallons of wastewater a day and the permit renewal would enable the facility to discharge up to one million. Several residents submitted comments and questions, stating skepticism that MDE’s permit requirements were being stringent enough to address any potential runoff of PFAS contaminated water at a higher volume.
Margarita Rosado is a Salisbury resident and says the hearing left her with more questions than answers.
“I want to stay in this home ’til the day I die. And now that I know that they’re going to be dumping 800,000 gallons more water daily,” she said. “I don’t think that might be an option for me to stay. I don’t feel safe here anymore.”
Chase Brockstedt, one of the attorneys representing the plaintiffs, said renewing the license would enable the expansion of Perdue’s operations, further harming residents.
“The reason why they’re asking for a five time increase is because they want to focus on expanding their operations, generating more revenue … at the expense of the health and wellness of the surrounding community,” he said.
In a statement, Perdue officials said they remain committed to being transparent and working with the community.
“The hearing is part of Maryland Department of the Environment’s standard public review process for a proposed wastewater treatment capacity expansion at our Salisbury facility that supports our farmers, customers and future business needs. The proposed expansion has been part of the facility’s long-term planning process and is separate from the ongoing PFAS site investigation.
The draft permit includes PFAS monitoring requirements overseen by MDE. In 2025, Perdue voluntarily installed PFAS treatment technology at the wastewater facility, despite there being no regulatory requirement to do so, because we believe in taking a proactive and responsible approach while working closely with regulators and the community.”
MDE officials said the deadline for public comments to be submitted is Nov. 9 by 5 p.m. Comments can be emailed to MDE Industrial and General Permits Division Chief Jonathan Rice at jonathan.rice@maryland.gov or through mail to Rice at the MDE Water and Science Administration postmarked no later than the deadline.
