Augusta Utility Sues Huhtamaki, Sappi Over PFAS in Drinking Water

The Greater Augusta Utility District has sued a group of paper and packaging manufacturers, including Huhtamaki and Sappi North America, seeking damages to cover the cost of cleaning PFAS out of its drinking water supply, Packaging Dive reported on October 15, 2026.

Huhtamaki, based in Finland, was named over its Waterville plant, which makes molded fiber foodservice products and Chinet plates. Sappi North America, based in Boston, was named over its Skowhegan mill, where it produces paperboard used in cups and cartons. Sappi finished a $500 million paper machine replacement at the mill in 2025.

The complaint says the Kennebec River supplies some of the district's groundwater wells and that paper and packaging operations discharged wastewater into the river for decades. Repeated testing at certain wells found PFAS above 4 parts per trillion, the federal enforceable limit for PFOA and PFOS, with later results pointing to worsening contamination, according to the complaint.

The suit alleges the companies knew or should have known about the contamination and did not alert the utility, delaying cleanup.

A Huhtamaki spokesperson said the company is reviewing the allegations and will "defend our position." Sappi did not comment, Packaging Dive reported.

This story was first reported by Packaging Dive.