Exxon Mobil must fork over $150 million to the city after a federal jury yesterday held the oil giant liable for contaminating the Big Apple’s drinking water.
The jury in Manhattan federal court sided with the city, which had sued Exxon and 22 other major oil companies for costs associated with removing a harmful gasoline additive from Queens drinking wells. Water from the wells is reserved for use during emergencies.
At least some of the settlement money would go toward treating the water, officials said.
The city contended that Exxon ignored warnings from its own scientists not to use the additive MTBE — which the EPA has classified as a potential carcinogen — in neighborhoods that use groundwater as drinking water.
The city filed the case in 2003. The other 22 companies settled before going to trial.
Exxon yesterday maintained that it was not the source of contamination and said it would consider its legal options.