Drinking water contractor Severn Trent Environmental Services finds itself sued a second time over its water quality problems in the city of Hugo. This time, it was the city of Hugo that filed suit, accusing Severn Trent of fraud and of acting negligently and creating a public nuisance by not properly treating drinking water.
The suit, case number CJ-2016-00017 in Choctaw County District Court, totaled 39 pages and accused Severn Trent of breaching its contract. It also accused the company of failing to properly maintain the water treatment plant or request money for equipment upkeep.
The lawsuit, seeking more than $75,000 actual damages and more than $75,000 for public nuisance, also wants attorneys’ fees. It was last fall when one Hugo resident, Tara Lowrimore filed a class-action lawsuit over the dirty water that flowed out of her faucets. Her suit contended the drinking and bathing water was unsafe and came two months after the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality hit the company with a $3.17 million fine. But a Choctaw County judge dismissed the lawsuit without prejudice in a ruling on March 3, 2016. Lowrimore’s case number was CJ-2015-00053 and was filed Oct. 30, 2015. Her suit accused Severn Trent of failing to properly sterilize, filter and monitor the drinking water since 2010.
Severn Trent just recently won a $68 million five-year contract with Oklahoma City to operate ahd maintain four wastewater treatment plants in the city. While the company had problems in Hugo, Oklahoma City officials decided the company still should get the big contract.
“After a lengthy review process, we selected Severn Trent North America to operate our wastewater treatment facilities,” said Marsha Slaughter, general manager of the Oklahoma City Water Utilities Trust. “Severn Trent has a proven track record in municipal wastewater management and we are pleased with our selection.”
