New Jersey AG Filed Lawsuit against Blueberry Farm for Using Unsafe Water in Farming Operations and Worker Housing

AUGUST 24, 2022

In August 2022, Acting New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin, along with the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), filed a lawsuit against Blueberry Bill Farms for allegedly using four substandard, unsafe drinking water wells in growing and processing operations, as well as for cooking and sanitary purposes at the housing provided for migrant farm workers. The lawsuit sought shutdown of the wells, as well as shutdown of two unpermitted septic tanks at the property. The lawsuit sought remediation and civil penalties. This action was part of a tranche of lawsuits taken as part of the New Jersey AG Office’s environmental justice initiative.

In September 2023, AG Platkin announced that a court had ordered the farm to “stop using the wells, decommission them, abandon their unpermitted septic fields, and get all related wastewater treated properly,” and that the farm had complied with the order.