2013 NGWA Summit — The National and International Conference on Groundwater

Your Liability for Emerging Chemicals

Tuesday, April 30, 2013: 1:15 p.m.
Regency East 2 (Hyatt Regency San Antonio)
Steven Hoch, JD, Morris Polich & Purdy

Emerging chemicals are described in terms of the public’s view, the science and the communition that tends to impact a decision as to whether a given substance gets classified as "emerging". We will discuss how this occurs and why. We will also discuss how and in what manner a water provider may have liability for these substances even though there are no regulatory restrictions on them at this time. Further, we will explore the possible liability for environmental damage that can arise from serving or disposing of water containing emerging chemicals. Lastly we will explore the issues of how water may be seen as a product and therefore be treated from a liability point of view just like any other product and the implications for the water industry if this happens.


Steven Hoch, JD , Morris Polich & Purdy

Steven Hoch has spent 37 years practicing law in the area of environmental law, mostly in the field of groundwater. He has served as litigation counsel, appeared before agencies, and provided policy advice to many water providers.