One litigation environmental group claimed that Lynn was the main chemical emitted from the Campbell Soup Plant in Napoleon, Ohio.
Campbell soup that removes “soup” from its name
Campbell Soup “drops the soup from its name to become “Campbell’s company.”
Campbell Soup Supply Company, LLC, agrees not to challenge the allegations that the Ohio facility has violated more than 5,400 times in six and a half years, leading to pollution in the river feeding Lake Erie.
On Monday, September 15th, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Campbell, known for its series of soups, admitted that plants in Napoleon, Ohio, exceeded the waste restrictions imposed by the Discharge or Waste Act.
The agreement is listed in the provisions Campbell, submitted to two environmentalist groups, Environmental America and Lake Erie Waterkeeper, who sued the company in March 2024.
The National Environmental Law Centre, which represents the group, alleges in the lawsuit that soup makers violated the Clean Water Act more than 5,400 times between April 2018 and December 2024, leading to ammonia, E. coli, E. coli, total residual chlorine, phosphorus, pH, oil and oil entering the waterway.
Waste from Campbell’s facility enters the Maumee River. The Maumee River flows into Lake Erie, and lawyers for the environmental group said in a news release on September 15th.
“The pollution flowing from the Maumee River into Lake Erie West, including Campbell’s Lynn discharge, is contributing to the lake’s toxic algae flowers,” said Sandy Bean, Lake Erie’s water manager.
On Thursday, September 18th, Campbell said in a statement to USA Today that the company had taken steps to comply with environmental regulations. According to the company, it has been part of the Napoleon community since 1938, and the facility in question has had minimal impact on the Maumee River or Lake Erie.
The lawsuit alleges Campbell’s infringed clean water laws have been permitted 5,468 times.
The facility at the heart of the 2024 lawsuit is Campbell’s Napoleon factory, approximately 46 miles southwest of Toledo, Ohio.
Ohio, an environmental organization defending clean air and water, and Lake Erie waterkeepers, advocating for easy swimming and fishing water in the Lake Erie basin, have launched lawsuits.
The complaint alleges Campbell violates the Cleanwater Act, allowing agencies and businesses to discharge chemicals and minerals into U.S. waters. The Act sets these discharge restrictions and calls them to be responsible for “point sources” to businesses or agents. In this case, environmental advocates argued that Campbell’s Ohio plants were the main point source for the Maumee River chemicals.
Similar to the lawsuit and September 15th provisions, Environmental America’s Cleanwater Director John Rumler includes data reported between 2018 and 2024 showing how much pollutants Campbell emits.
According to the complaint, the group said the soup company had violated a total of 5,468 violations. Rumpler said the joint provisions indicate that Campbell Soup Company “acknowledges that this is what we put in water.”
Rumpler added: “We need to know what Campbell needs to “clean up operations and prevent further expiration of permit restrictions.” He further said he needs to know how much penalty a company is violating the law.
How do these contaminants affect the environment?
According to Rumpler, one of the main contaminants environmental groups are concerned about is phosphorus, which can lead to toxic algae.
“It’s this nasty, green slime that covers most of the western part of Lake Erie,” he said. “It’s very toxic to humans, wildlife and pets.”
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says that too much phosphorus can lead to excessive algae growth, which can contribute to dissolved oxygen levels, harmful algal toxins, lack of sunlight in plants and animals in the water, and degraded habitat conditions for aquatic organisms.
Phosphorus enters rivers and streams, lakes and coastal waters due to fertilizer, urban runoff, leaks in cleansing conditions, or discharges from wastewater treatment plants.
The Ohio EPA said in its June 2023 technical report that the average amount of emissions allowed daily is 10 million gallons per day. Between Spring 2017 and Spring 2021, Campbell’s daily flow averaged 5.5 million gallons per day.
Rumpler said cities and towns, farmers and businesses like Campbell must do their part to stay within permitted discharge restrictions.
“They know this is the problem,” Rumpler said. “They know they need to solve that. It’s the question of how much money is involved and what they need to do to get this contamination to where it is needed.”
Saleen Martin is a reporter for the USA Today Now team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – 757. Email her to sdmartin@usatoday.com.
