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Technology
7 min read
Areas of Expertise :
Data Center, Wastewater, Water Contamination, Soil And Water Contamination, Environmental Engineering
Published Date:
Last Modified Date:
Jurisdiction:
Federal. Ninth Circuit
Pearson et al. v. Amazon Data Services, Inc., Case No. 2:26-cv-00633, is a proposed class action filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon on March 31, 2026. Six residents of Morrow County allege that wastewater associated with Amazon Data Services’ operations contributed to nitrate contamination in the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area, which covers portions of Morrow and Umatilla counties. AWS launched its U.S. West (Oregon) Region on November 8, 2011, and the complaint alleges that Amazon Data Services now operates at least 13 data centers within the groundwater management area. According to the complaint, water used to cool servers circulates through the facilities’ cooling systems three or four times. The plaintiffs contend that evaporation during those cycles increases the concentration of nitrates already present in the source water and that the spent water is later discharged through canals or transferred to the Port of Morrow for land application.
The residents assert claims under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, negligence, trespass, and private nuisance. When the lawsuit was filed, the parties presented a proposed $20.5 million settlement that would fund qualifying private-well projects and public water or wastewater infrastructure within the affected groundwater basin. On June 12, 2026, the court granted preliminary approval, conditionally certified the settlement class, and scheduled a final fairness hearing for January 12, 2027. Amazon denies the allegations and any wrongdoing or liability. The court has not determined whether Amazon caused groundwater contamination or violated federal or state law, and the related lawsuit against the Port of Morrow and other defendants remains separate.
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality designated portions of northern Morrow and Umatilla counties as a groundwater management area in 1990 because of elevated nitrate levels in groundwater. The designation created a coordinated system for groundwater testing, monitoring, and nitrate-reduction efforts throughout the region.
Later state analyses identified several estimated nitrate sources, including irrigated farmland, confined animal feeding operations, pastures, food-processing wastewater systems, septic systems, and other land uses. Nitrate contamination in the region therefore predated Amazon’s data-center operations in eastern Oregon. That history does not determine whether later industrial discharges contributed to existing groundwater conditions.
AWS announced the launch of its U.S. West (Oregon) Region on November 8, 2011, and later expanded its infrastructure in Morrow and Umatilla counties. The complaint alleges that Amazon Data Services now operates at least 13 data centers within the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area.
The plaintiffs allege that water passes through the facilities’ cooling systems three or four times before it is discharged. They contend that evaporation during those cycles concentrates nitrates and other substances already present in the incoming water. The court has not ruled on those allegations.
Oregon DEQ announced a $1.3 million civil penalty against the Port of Morrow for repeatedly applying excessive amounts of nitrogen-containing wastewater to agricultural fields and failing to complete required monitoring. The agency reported more than 1,000 permit violations and approximately 165 tons of excess nitrogen applied between 2018 and 2021.
Wastewater entering the Port’s system came from food processors, storage facilities, data centers, and other industrial users. The Port of Morrow was the regulated party named in the enforcement action, which did not determine liability against Amazon Data Services.
On October 31, 2023, Oregon DEQ announced a $2.4 million settlement with the Port. The agreement required the Port to provide $1,933,721 for safe-drinking-water work and pay a separate $483,430 civil penalty.
After testing detected elevated nitrate levels in rural domestic wells, the Morrow County Board of Commissioners declared a local state of emergency effective June 9, 2022. The declaration authorized emergency response measures, emergency procurement, coordination with government agencies, and requests for additional state or federal assistance.
County and state efforts included expanded well testing and drinking-water support for households that depended on private wells. The emergency order addressed regional groundwater conditions in affected areas of Morrow County without assigning responsibility to a particular landowner or industrial operator.
According to the complaint, the residents sent Amazon Data Services a notice of intent to bring a citizen suit under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. Copies were sent to the EPA administrator, the appropriate EPA regional administrator, and Oregon DEQ.
The notice addressed the alleged handling and disposal of data-center wastewater and the claimed threat to groundwater and drinking-water supplies. The plaintiffs allege that the spent industrial water constitutes solid waste under RCRA and that its handling or disposal may present an imminent and substantial endangerment to health or the environment. More than 90 days passed between the notice and the filing of the federal action.
Michael Pearson, James Suter, Silvia Suter, Rosa Cavasos, Jeffrey Fleming, and Jon Haley filed the proposed class action in federal court. They seek to represent people who currently own or rent property or reside within the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area, subject to the exclusions listed in the settlement agreement and notice.
The complaint alleges that wastewater from Amazon’s data centers reached groundwater after being released through canals or transferred to the Port of Morrow for land application. It also alleges that Amazon sends at least 250 million gallons of wastewater to the Port each year. These allegations have not been established by a court ruling.
The parties submitted a joint motion for preliminary approval of a negotiated settlement on the same date. The simultaneous filings indicate that settlement discussions took place before the separate action against Amazon was formally filed. Under the proposal, Amazon would contribute $20.5 million to a settlement fund while denying liability and wrongdoing.
Judge Michael H. Simon granted the parties’ joint request to stay proceedings involving Amazon while the court reviewed the proposed agreement. The order paused answer deadlines, discovery, and other litigation activity involving Amazon Data Services in the new case and the related Pearson v. Port of Morrow action.
The stay did not cover claims against defendants outside the proposed Amazon settlement. Those claims continued on a separate procedural track.
The court denied a request to consolidate the Amazon settlement action with the related lawsuit against the Port of Morrow and other defendants, leaving the two cases procedurally separate.
The court also permitted the Port of Morrow, Madison Ranches, Threemile Canyon Farms, Lamb Weston, Portland General Electric, and Columbia River Processing to intervene in the Amazon settlement case. Their participation allowed them to address issues connected to the proposed agreement, although the claims against them remained outside the Amazon settlement.
On May 1, 2026, the court administratively corrected the record by replacing an incorrectly attached PDF. The correction did not alter the April 30 denial of consolidation or the intervention ruling.
The court granted preliminary approval and conditionally certified a class consisting of people who currently own or rent property or reside within the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area, subject to the exclusions contained in the settlement documents. The order authorized notice to class members and established the next stages of the settlement-review process.
The preliminary-approval ruling did not decide the residents’ allegations, establish that Amazon caused groundwater contamination, or impose liability under federal or state law.
Under the agreement, Amazon would place $20.5 million into a fund for qualifying water-related projects. After court-approved deductions, the money could support private-well alterations or extensions to reach a cleaner basalt aquifer, pipelines connecting households to public systems, additional drinking-water sources, wastewater treatment, and maintenance or improvements to public water and wastewater systems.
Private wells must satisfy testing, aquifer-access, and water-quality requirements before receiving project funding. Allocation procedures, attorneys’ fees, litigation expenses, administration costs, and proposed service awards remain subject to later court approval.
Settlement class members have until September 8, 2026, to request exclusion. Mailed exclusion requests must be postmarked by that date, while requests submitted by email must be received by the deadline.
A person who properly opts out will not be eligible to seek funding for an individual private-well project through the settlement. The excluded person will not be bound by the settlement’s release and will retain the right to pursue covered claims independently. Public infrastructure projects funded through the settlement may serve users who did not submit individual private-well applications.
Class members who remain in the settlement may submit written objections by October 8, 2026. Objections may address the settlement terms, allocation procedures, attorneys’ fees, service awards, or other matters presented for final review.
A class member may object to part or all of the proposal while remaining within the settlement class. A person cannot both request exclusion and object to the agreement.
The final fairness hearing is scheduled for January 12, 2027, at 10:00 a.m. The court is expected to consider final class certification, timely objections, attorneys’ fees, service awards, and whether the agreement is fair, reasonable, and adequate.
The court may approve or reject the proposed settlement and may continue or reschedule the hearing. According to the settlement notice, the court cannot require the parties to adopt different settlement terms.
Court:
United States District Court for the District of Oregon
Case Name:
Pearson v. Amazon Data Services, Inc.
Oregon residents allege that wastewater from Amazon data centers contributed to nitrate contamination in the Lower Umatilla Basin groundwater area.
The lawsuit asserts RCRA, negligence, trespass, and private nuisance claims involving cooling-water discharges and groundwater impacts.
Amazon denies wrongdoing, and the court has not determined that its operations caused or contributed to the contamination.
A proposed $20.5 million settlement would fund qualifying private-well projects and public water or wastewater infrastructure.
The court granted preliminary approval in June 2026, with a final fairness hearing scheduled for January 12, 2027.
Groundwater Contamination
Hydrogeology
Water and Wastewater Engineering
Water Quality
Environmental Contamination
Water Treatment
Pearson et al. v. Amazon Data Services, Inc., Case No. 2:26-cv-00633, is a proposed class action filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon on March 31, 2026. Six residents of Morrow County allege that wastewater associated with Amazon Data Services’ operations contributed to nitrate contamination in the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area, which covers portions of Morrow and Umatilla counties. AWS launched its U.S. West (Oregon) Region on November 8, 2011, and the complaint alleges that Amazon Data Services now operates at least 13 data centers within the groundwater management area. According to the complaint, water used to cool servers circulates through the facilities’ cooling systems three or four times. The plaintiffs contend that evaporation during those cycles increases the concentration of nitrates already present in the source water and that the spent water is later discharged through canals or transferred to the Port of Morrow for land application.
The residents assert claims under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, negligence, trespass, and private nuisance. When the lawsuit was filed, the parties presented a proposed $20.5 million settlement that would fund qualifying private-well projects and public water or wastewater infrastructure within the affected groundwater basin. On June 12, 2026, the court granted preliminary approval, conditionally certified the settlement class, and scheduled a final fairness hearing for January 12, 2027. Amazon denies the allegations and any wrongdoing or liability. The court has not determined whether Amazon caused groundwater contamination or violated federal or state law, and the related lawsuit against the Port of Morrow and other defendants remains separate.
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality designated portions of northern Morrow and Umatilla counties as a groundwater management area in 1990 because of elevated nitrate levels in groundwater. The designation created a coordinated system for groundwater testing, monitoring, and nitrate-reduction efforts throughout the region.
Later state analyses identified several estimated nitrate sources, including irrigated farmland, confined animal feeding operations, pastures, food-processing wastewater systems, septic systems, and other land uses. Nitrate contamination in the region therefore predated Amazon’s data-center operations in eastern Oregon. That history does not determine whether later industrial discharges contributed to existing groundwater conditions.
AWS announced the launch of its U.S. West (Oregon) Region on November 8, 2011, and later expanded its infrastructure in Morrow and Umatilla counties. The complaint alleges that Amazon Data Services now operates at least 13 data centers within the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area.
The plaintiffs allege that water passes through the facilities’ cooling systems three or four times before it is discharged. They contend that evaporation during those cycles concentrates nitrates and other substances already present in the incoming water. The court has not ruled on those allegations.
Oregon DEQ announced a $1.3 million civil penalty against the Port of Morrow for repeatedly applying excessive amounts of nitrogen-containing wastewater to agricultural fields and failing to complete required monitoring. The agency reported more than 1,000 permit violations and approximately 165 tons of excess nitrogen applied between 2018 and 2021.
Wastewater entering the Port’s system came from food processors, storage facilities, data centers, and other industrial users. The Port of Morrow was the regulated party named in the enforcement action, which did not determine liability against Amazon Data Services.
On October 31, 2023, Oregon DEQ announced a $2.4 million settlement with the Port. The agreement required the Port to provide $1,933,721 for safe-drinking-water work and pay a separate $483,430 civil penalty.
After testing detected elevated nitrate levels in rural domestic wells, the Morrow County Board of Commissioners declared a local state of emergency effective June 9, 2022. The declaration authorized emergency response measures, emergency procurement, coordination with government agencies, and requests for additional state or federal assistance.
County and state efforts included expanded well testing and drinking-water support for households that depended on private wells. The emergency order addressed regional groundwater conditions in affected areas of Morrow County without assigning responsibility to a particular landowner or industrial operator.
According to the complaint, the residents sent Amazon Data Services a notice of intent to bring a citizen suit under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. Copies were sent to the EPA administrator, the appropriate EPA regional administrator, and Oregon DEQ.
The notice addressed the alleged handling and disposal of data-center wastewater and the claimed threat to groundwater and drinking-water supplies. The plaintiffs allege that the spent industrial water constitutes solid waste under RCRA and that its handling or disposal may present an imminent and substantial endangerment to health or the environment. More than 90 days passed between the notice and the filing of the federal action.
Michael Pearson, James Suter, Silvia Suter, Rosa Cavasos, Jeffrey Fleming, and Jon Haley filed the proposed class action in federal court. They seek to represent people who currently own or rent property or reside within the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area, subject to the exclusions listed in the settlement agreement and notice.
The complaint alleges that wastewater from Amazon’s data centers reached groundwater after being released through canals or transferred to the Port of Morrow for land application. It also alleges that Amazon sends at least 250 million gallons of wastewater to the Port each year. These allegations have not been established by a court ruling.
The parties submitted a joint motion for preliminary approval of a negotiated settlement on the same date. The simultaneous filings indicate that settlement discussions took place before the separate action against Amazon was formally filed. Under the proposal, Amazon would contribute $20.5 million to a settlement fund while denying liability and wrongdoing.
Judge Michael H. Simon granted the parties’ joint request to stay proceedings involving Amazon while the court reviewed the proposed agreement. The order paused answer deadlines, discovery, and other litigation activity involving Amazon Data Services in the new case and the related Pearson v. Port of Morrow action.
The stay did not cover claims against defendants outside the proposed Amazon settlement. Those claims continued on a separate procedural track.
The court denied a request to consolidate the Amazon settlement action with the related lawsuit against the Port of Morrow and other defendants, leaving the two cases procedurally separate.
The court also permitted the Port of Morrow, Madison Ranches, Threemile Canyon Farms, Lamb Weston, Portland General Electric, and Columbia River Processing to intervene in the Amazon settlement case. Their participation allowed them to address issues connected to the proposed agreement, although the claims against them remained outside the Amazon settlement.
On May 1, 2026, the court administratively corrected the record by replacing an incorrectly attached PDF. The correction did not alter the April 30 denial of consolidation or the intervention ruling.
The court granted preliminary approval and conditionally certified a class consisting of people who currently own or rent property or reside within the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area, subject to the exclusions contained in the settlement documents. The order authorized notice to class members and established the next stages of the settlement-review process.
The preliminary-approval ruling did not decide the residents’ allegations, establish that Amazon caused groundwater contamination, or impose liability under federal or state law.
Under the agreement, Amazon would place $20.5 million into a fund for qualifying water-related projects. After court-approved deductions, the money could support private-well alterations or extensions to reach a cleaner basalt aquifer, pipelines connecting households to public systems, additional drinking-water sources, wastewater treatment, and maintenance or improvements to public water and wastewater systems.
Private wells must satisfy testing, aquifer-access, and water-quality requirements before receiving project funding. Allocation procedures, attorneys’ fees, litigation expenses, administration costs, and proposed service awards remain subject to later court approval.
Settlement class members have until September 8, 2026, to request exclusion. Mailed exclusion requests must be postmarked by that date, while requests submitted by email must be received by the deadline.
A person who properly opts out will not be eligible to seek funding for an individual private-well project through the settlement. The excluded person will not be bound by the settlement’s release and will retain the right to pursue covered claims independently. Public infrastructure projects funded through the settlement may serve users who did not submit individual private-well applications.
Class members who remain in the settlement may submit written objections by October 8, 2026. Objections may address the settlement terms, allocation procedures, attorneys’ fees, service awards, or other matters presented for final review.
A class member may object to part or all of the proposal while remaining within the settlement class. A person cannot both request exclusion and object to the agreement.
The final fairness hearing is scheduled for January 12, 2027, at 10:00 a.m. The court is expected to consider final class certification, timely objections, attorneys’ fees, service awards, and whether the agreement is fair, reasonable, and adequate.
The court may approve or reject the proposed settlement and may continue or reschedule the hearing. According to the settlement notice, the court cannot require the parties to adopt different settlement terms.
No retained or testifying experts have been publicly identified in the Amazon settlement action. The following categories describe experts who may address similar disputes if contested technical, medical, property, or damages issues proceed through discovery.
Hydrogeology Expert Witness
A hydrogeology expert may study aquifer boundaries, groundwater flow, private-well construction, recharge patterns, soil permeability, and nitrate migration. The analysis may also evaluate whether substances released at identified land-application sites could travel to residential or municipal wells in Morrow or Umatilla County.
Wastewater Engineering Expert Witness
A wastewater engineer may review the collection, storage, treatment, discharge, and land application of industrial water. Relevant work may include examining permit limits, flow records, nitrate concentrations, storage capacity, irrigation rates, and available treatment systems.
Data Center Mechanical Systems Expert Witness
A data center mechanical systems expert may assess how water enters, circulates through, and leaves server-cooling equipment. The review may cover evaporation rates, reuse cycles, discharge volumes, cooling-system design, and changes in the concentration of substances found in the source water.
Toxicology and Public Health Expert Witness
A toxicologist or public-health expert may evaluate nitrate exposure pathways, drinking-water concentrations, regulatory standards, exposure duration, and claimed health effects. The expert may also distinguish among potential exposure, increased health risk, diagnosed injury, and requests for medical monitoring.
Property Valuation and Economic Damages Expert Witness
A valuation or economic damages expert may examine claimed losses involving property values, private-well replacement, filtration systems, bottled water, utility expenses, and public infrastructure. The analysis may separate household-level costs from expenses associated with broader water-system projects.
Class Members May Remain, Object, or Request Exclusion
The proposed settlement has received preliminary approval, giving class members the option to remain in the settlement, file an objection, or request exclusion. The exclusion deadline is September 8, 2026, and objections must be submitted by October 8, 2026 by class members who remain in the settlement.
Nitrate-Source Analysis Involves Several Regional Activities
Nitrate contamination in the Lower Umatilla Basin has been linked to multiple regional activities, including agriculture, animal operations, wastewater disposal, and septic systems. The plaintiffs allege Amazon's wastewater contributed to existing contamination, but the court has not determined whether Amazon caused or contributed to the groundwater conditions.
The Federal Claim Follows RCRA’s Citizen-Suit Procedure
The lawsuit was brought under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), which requires private parties to provide advance notice before filing certain citizen suits. According to the complaint, the plaintiffs sent their notice on March 7, 2024, and filed the lawsuit on March 31, 2026, after the required waiting period.
The Proposed Relief Uses Project Funding Instead of Equal Cash Payments
The proposed settlement focuses on funding qualifying private-well improvements and public water or wastewater infrastructure rather than providing equal cash payments to every class member. Distribution of the remaining settlement funds would follow the eligibility requirements and allocation procedures set out in the agreement after any court-approved deductions.
The Allegations Concern Cooling Water and Wastewater Handling
The complaint centers on cooling water used at Amazon's eastern Oregon data centers and the handling of wastewater after it was circulated through cooling systems. It does not allege that any specific computing activity, such as generative AI or machine learning, caused the claimed groundwater contamination.
Pearson v. Amazon Data Services is proceeding through settlement review rather than a determination on the merits. Since the March 31, 2026 filing, the court has stayed proceedings involving Amazon, declined to consolidate the case with the related Port of Morrow litigation, allowed several nonsettling entities to intervene, conditionally certified the settlement class, and authorized notice of the proposed $20.5 million agreement. Amazon continues to deny liability, and no ruling has established that its operations caused nitrate contamination or violated federal or state law.
The next scheduled stages include the September 8, 2026 exclusion deadline, the October 8, 2026 objection deadline, and the January 12, 2027 final fairness hearing. Claims against the Port of Morrow and other nonsettling defendants remain part of separate litigation.
What is the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area?
The Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area covers portions of Morrow and Umatilla counties in eastern Oregon where elevated nitrate levels have affected groundwater and private wells. Oregon designated the area in 1990 to coordinate testing, monitoring, and nitrate-reduction efforts across the region.
Who filed the Amazon data center groundwater lawsuit?
Michael Pearson, James Suter, Silvia Suter, Rosa Cavasos, Jeffrey Fleming, and Jon Haley filed the action on March 31, 2026. They seek to represent residents, renters, and property owners within the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area, subject to exclusions in the settlement documents.
What legal claims did the residents bring against Amazon?
The complaint includes a citizen-suit claim under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and Oregon claims for negligence, trespass, and private nuisance. The residents request clean-water measures, medical monitoring, damages, mitigation, costs, and other relief, but the court has not awarded those remedies or decided the claims.
Is the proposed $20.5 million Amazon settlement final?
No. The court granted preliminary approval on June 12, 2026. The proposal remains subject to exclusions, objections, final class certification, and the fairness hearing scheduled for January 12, 2027.
What would the settlement fund cover?
The fund could support qualifying private-well alterations or extensions, connections to cleaner groundwater or public water sources, water pipelines, wastewater treatment, and improvements to public water or wastewater systems. Attorneys’ fees, expenses, administration costs, and service awards may be deducted if approved by the court.
No retained or testifying experts have been publicly identified in the Amazon settlement action. The following categories describe experts who may address similar disputes if contested technical, medical, property, or damages issues proceed through discovery.
Hydrogeology Expert Witness
A hydrogeology expert may study aquifer boundaries, groundwater flow, private-well construction, recharge patterns, soil permeability, and nitrate migration. The analysis may also evaluate whether substances released at identified land-application sites could travel to residential or municipal wells in Morrow or Umatilla County.
Wastewater Engineering Expert Witness
A wastewater engineer may review the collection, storage, treatment, discharge, and land application of industrial water. Relevant work may include examining permit limits, flow records, nitrate concentrations, storage capacity, irrigation rates, and available treatment systems.
Data Center Mechanical Systems Expert Witness
A data center mechanical systems expert may assess how water enters, circulates through, and leaves server-cooling equipment. The review may cover evaporation rates, reuse cycles, discharge volumes, cooling-system design, and changes in the concentration of substances found in the source water.
Toxicology and Public Health Expert Witness
A toxicologist or public-health expert may evaluate nitrate exposure pathways, drinking-water concentrations, regulatory standards, exposure duration, and claimed health effects. The expert may also distinguish among potential exposure, increased health risk, diagnosed injury, and requests for medical monitoring.
Property Valuation and Economic Damages Expert Witness
A valuation or economic damages expert may examine claimed losses involving property values, private-well replacement, filtration systems, bottled water, utility expenses, and public infrastructure. The analysis may separate household-level costs from expenses associated with broader water-system projects.
Class Members May Remain, Object, or Request Exclusion
The proposed settlement has received preliminary approval, giving class members the option to remain in the settlement, file an objection, or request exclusion. The exclusion deadline is September 8, 2026, and objections must be submitted by October 8, 2026 by class members who remain in the settlement.
Nitrate-Source Analysis Involves Several Regional Activities
Nitrate contamination in the Lower Umatilla Basin has been linked to multiple regional activities, including agriculture, animal operations, wastewater disposal, and septic systems. The plaintiffs allege Amazon's wastewater contributed to existing contamination, but the court has not determined whether Amazon caused or contributed to the groundwater conditions.
The Federal Claim Follows RCRA’s Citizen-Suit Procedure
The lawsuit was brought under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), which requires private parties to provide advance notice before filing certain citizen suits. According to the complaint, the plaintiffs sent their notice on March 7, 2024, and filed the lawsuit on March 31, 2026, after the required waiting period.
The Proposed Relief Uses Project Funding Instead of Equal Cash Payments
The proposed settlement focuses on funding qualifying private-well improvements and public water or wastewater infrastructure rather than providing equal cash payments to every class member. Distribution of the remaining settlement funds would follow the eligibility requirements and allocation procedures set out in the agreement after any court-approved deductions.
The Allegations Concern Cooling Water and Wastewater Handling
The complaint centers on cooling water used at Amazon's eastern Oregon data centers and the handling of wastewater after it was circulated through cooling systems. It does not allege that any specific computing activity, such as generative AI or machine learning, caused the claimed groundwater contamination.
Pearson v. Amazon Data Services is proceeding through settlement review rather than a determination on the merits. Since the March 31, 2026 filing, the court has stayed proceedings involving Amazon, declined to consolidate the case with the related Port of Morrow litigation, allowed several nonsettling entities to intervene, conditionally certified the settlement class, and authorized notice of the proposed $20.5 million agreement. Amazon continues to deny liability, and no ruling has established that its operations caused nitrate contamination or violated federal or state law.
The next scheduled stages include the September 8, 2026 exclusion deadline, the October 8, 2026 objection deadline, and the January 12, 2027 final fairness hearing. Claims against the Port of Morrow and other nonsettling defendants remain part of separate litigation.
What is the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area?
The Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area covers portions of Morrow and Umatilla counties in eastern Oregon where elevated nitrate levels have affected groundwater and private wells. Oregon designated the area in 1990 to coordinate testing, monitoring, and nitrate-reduction efforts across the region.
Who filed the Amazon data center groundwater lawsuit?
Michael Pearson, James Suter, Silvia Suter, Rosa Cavasos, Jeffrey Fleming, and Jon Haley filed the action on March 31, 2026. They seek to represent residents, renters, and property owners within the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area, subject to exclusions in the settlement documents.
What legal claims did the residents bring against Amazon?
The complaint includes a citizen-suit claim under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and Oregon claims for negligence, trespass, and private nuisance. The residents request clean-water measures, medical monitoring, damages, mitigation, costs, and other relief, but the court has not awarded those remedies or decided the claims.
Is the proposed $20.5 million Amazon settlement final?
No. The court granted preliminary approval on June 12, 2026. The proposal remains subject to exclusions, objections, final class certification, and the fairness hearing scheduled for January 12, 2027.
What would the settlement fund cover?
The fund could support qualifying private-well alterations or extensions, connections to cleaner groundwater or public water sources, water pipelines, wastewater treatment, and improvements to public water or wastewater systems. Attorneys’ fees, expenses, administration costs, and service awards may be deducted if approved by the court.
Groundwater Contamination
Hydrogeology
Water and Wastewater Engineering
Water Quality
Environmental Contamination
Water Treatment
Artificial Intelligence, +4
Technology
Artificial Intelligence, +4
Technology