By Paige Gurgainers

The Springhill City Council quickly made their way through the agenda at May’s monthly regular meeting. After going through the agenda items, they were finally able to enter into an executive session to discuss unknown litigation matters, an item that has been on the agenda for months, but until now has been pushed back for various reasons.

In the topic of litigation, another agenda item included authorizing Mayor Ray Huddleston to enter a “Contract for Legal Services” with with Talbot, Carmouche & Marcello and Yves M. Verrett, III and his firm, E. Charles Jacobs and his firm, and Nelson Smith and his firm.  

It was briefly discussed during the workshop that it was necessary to join a class action lawsuit restricting six toxic” forever chemicals” found in drinking water recently restricted by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency.) 

A press release put out by the EPA states, “As many as 105 million people in the U.S. get their drinking water from water systems contaminated by the six PFAS chemicals newly regulated by the EPA at a level exceeding the standards announced today. PFAS chemicals are infamous for their extreme persistence in the environment and widespread pollution; almost no level of exposure is safe for public health. 

“A range of harmful health effects have been linked to PFAS exposure including kidney and testicular cancer, high cholesterol, changes in hormone levels, and harmful effects on the liver, kidneys, and immune, nervous, and reproductive systems.” 

According to the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) in 2023, the City of Springhill received a “B” water grade. The negatives included financial stability, customer satisfaction, and secondary contamination of manganese and/or iron over the secondary maximum contamination levels.