After Settlement, Claims Process Begins

After a $151 million settlement was reached in a West Virginia chemical spill that tainted a local water system, the real wait begins for residents and businesses hoping to cash in on the claims process. West Virginia American Water will pay $126 million and Eastman Chemical will pay $25 million under the tentative settlement announced Monday in federal court in Charleston. The certified plaintiffs included more than 224,000 area residents, more than 7,300 business owners and an undetermined number of hourly “wage earners.” A claims administrator could begin notifying the public about how to collect by the end of the year.