If you currently own or rent property or reside in the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area, you may be eligible to receive benefits from a class action settlement

PENDLETON, Ore., July 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- 

Lawsuit Background

A $20.5 million settlement has been reached in a class action lawsuit against Amazon Data Services, Inc. ("ADS" or "Defendant"). The lawsuit alleges that millions of gallons of wastewater from ADS's data centers and operations of other parties' facilities in the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area ("LUBGWMA") in Morrow and Umatilla Counties in Oregon, contribute to nitrate pollution in the groundwater in the LUBGWMA. The lawsuit also alleges that nitrates are dangerous to human health and the environment, and that drinking nitrate-contaminated water poses serious health risks. Defendant denies the allegations and any wrongdoing or liability.

The lawsuit is known as Pearson et al. v. Amazon Data Services, Inc., Case No. 2:26-cv-00633.

Who is included in the Settlement? The Settlement Class is defined as all Persons who currently own or rent property or reside in the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area.

Settlement Benefits

The Settlement Fund will pay for projects:

Private Well Projects:
Funding for extending or altering private drinking water wells to reach the "basalt" aquifer in LUBGWMA for Settlement Class Members who submit a claim form. You must have 1) an existing drinking water well with recent sampling results exceeding any Safe Drinking Water Act levels or showing nitrate concentrations exceeding 70% of applicable Safe Drinking Water Act levels and 2) that the target "basalt" aquifer is an accessible and a cleaner source of drinking water. 

Information on how you can submit a claim will be provided at a later date.

Public Infrastructure Projects:
1) Extend water supply pipelines to households using private wells, currently not connected to public drinking water systems. 2) Allow utilities to access sustainable sources of clean drinking water. 3) Treat wastewater, lowering the amount of contamination that return to the drinking water aquifer. 4) Maintain or improve the public drinking water or public wastewater treatment systems. You do not need to submit a claim form.

Other Options

Opt-Out postmarked or emailed by September 8, 2026. Submit your opt-out if you do not want to be legally bound by the Settlement. The Court will exclude any class members who request to opt-out, unless the Court decides otherwise.

Object by October 8, 2026. You may object to the Settlement if you do not opt-out. The Long Form Notice on the Settlement Website explains how to opt-out or object.

Do Nothing. You do not need to do anything now. If you do nothing, you will give up your legal rights to sue ADS about the Released Claims in this lawsuit and you will be bound by the Settlement, any judgments, and orders. Information on how you can submit a claim will be provided at a later date.

Fairness Hearing on January 12, 2027. The Court will decide whether to approve the Settlement, Class Counsel's attorneys' fees and reimbursement of costs and expenses, Service Awards, and any objections. You or your lawyer may ask to appear at the hearing, but are not required to do so.

This notice is a summary. Learn more at www.EasternOregonWaterSettlement.com, or call toll-free 1-877-317-7870.

SOURCE United States District Court for the District of Oregon Pendleton Division