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A chemical contaminated Fresno's water decades ago. Behind 123-TCP's prevalence in the Valley

KVPR | By Elizabeth Arakelian,
Jonathan Linden
Published August 9, 2024 at 4:13 PM PDT
FILE PHOTO: Water comes out of a well.
Geoffrey Thurner
/
Fresno State
FILE PHOTO: Water comes out of a well.

FRESNO, Calif. — Earlier this month, the City of Fresno reached a $230 million settlement with Shell Oil, Dow Chemical, and other major companies.

The settlement came 17 years after the companies were accused of manufacturing and distributing to local farmers a fertilizer containing the chemical 123-TCP. The lawsuit revolved around 123-TCP making its way into local water tables and contaminating around 30 Fresno water wells.

Todd Robins is a Founding Partner at the Robins Borghei Law Firm, which has handled dozens of TCP lawsuits over the last two decades. Robins did not handle this specific case for Fresno but says the settlement is significant. He joined KVPR’s Elizabeth Arakelian for a conversation about 123-TCP and talked about how it ended up in Fresno water wells.

Listen to the interview with the player on this page.
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Environment Top Stories123-TCPgroundwater
Elizabeth Arakelian
A Valley native, Elizabeth earned her bachelor's degree in English Language Literatures from the University of California, Santa Cruz and her master's degree in journalism from New York University. She has covered a range of beats. Her agriculture reporting for the Turlock Journal earned her a first place award from the California Newspaper Publishers Association. While in graduate school she covered the New Hampshire Primary for NBC Owned Television Stations and subsequently worked as a television ratings analyst for the company's business news network, CNBC. Upon returning to California, her role as a higher education public relations professional reconnected her to the Valley's media scene. She is happy to be back to her journalism roots as a local host at KVPR.
See stories by Elizabeth Arakelian
Jonathan Linden
Jonathan Linden is a podcast producer at KVPR. Born and raised in Riverside, he's a Southern California native. Jonathan's passion for public radio began at a young age when his brother would play NPR while driving him home from middle school. He earned his B.A. in journalism from Biola University in 2019.
See stories by Jonathan Linden