New Hampshire Receives Nearly $8M First PFAS Settlement Payment from 3M for Public Drinking Water Systems

September 24, 2025

By: Scanner Alerts Media Group

New Hampshire has received an initial $7,960,660.29 payment from 3M’s nationwide PFAS settlement for public drinking water systems, with funds to be deposited into the N.H. Drinking Water and Groundwater Trust Fund (RSA 485-H:6) for distribution to eligible systems statewide.

Governor Kelly A. Ayotte said the State remains “a national leader in holding polluters accountable and promoting access to safe, clean drinking water,” and thanked staff at the Department of Justice and Department of Environmental Services for their efforts. Attorney General John M. Formella said the settlement provides “substantial settlement funds to support the Granite State’s public water systems” as they address PFAS contamination, noting that New Hampshire “will continue to hold those responsible accountable.”

According to the release, this payment is the first installment of New Hampshire’s approximately $56 million allocation (before attorneys’ fees and costs) from Phase One of the 3M settlement. A second, larger Phase One payment is expected near year-end, followed by smaller annual payments through 2033. An additional allocation in Phase Two is scheduled sometime after 2026.

The settlement stems from the State’s ongoing PFAS/AFFF litigation filed in 2019, pending in Merrimack County Superior Court and in federal multidistrict litigation in South Carolina. Separate water-provider settlements in the MDL with DuPont entities (including Chemours and Corteva), Tyco/Chemguard, and BASF are awaiting court allocation; the State anticipates $6–10 million from these additional defendants. The State notes these settlements cover only one category of damages, and litigation will continue to seek full recovery.

Credit: New Hampshire Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney Genera