Maine DEP sued Mallinckrodt US LLC on Aug. 25, 2026 to compel cleanup of the former HoltraChem site in Orrington.
The complaint in Penobscot County Superior Court seeks court-ordered compliance with prior remediation requirements. The site is a Penobscot River-front property that DEP calls one of Maine's most contaminated sites. The case concerns land-based cleanup at the former chlor-alkali plant area, not direct payments to residents.
Table of Contents
- What DEP filed
- Which site is involved
- Why DEP says court action is needed
- Is this a settlement or payout
- What Orrington-area residents can do
What DEP filed
The state filed a formal enforcement complaint against Mallinckrodt US LLC, the party responsible for the Orrington property. According to the Maine DEP release via EIN Presswire, DEP alleges the company failed to complete required cleanup work DEP enforcement action.
DEP asks the court to compel future compliance and enforce remediation standards from earlier orders. This is an enforcement lawsuit. It does not by itself order a specific cleanup method or award compensation.
Which site is involved
The property is the former HoltraChem manufacturing plant in Orrington, on the Penobscot River. The plant opened in 1967 and produced chlorine, caustic soda, bleach, hydrochloric acid and pesticide chloropicrin before closing in September 2000.
Investigations found mercury, carbon tetrachloride and other contaminants in on-site landfills. Mercury was also found in Penobscot River sediment, with effects on soils, groundwater and the neighboring river, as documented by the U.S. EPA EPA site history.
Why DEP says court action is needed
DEP says Mallinckrodt stopped substantive work despite binding cleanup obligations. The agency points to violation notices in March 2025 and October 2025 for lack of progress in the former plant area. The obligations reach back to a Nov.
24, 2008 DEP compliance order designating the site an uncontrolled hazardous-substance site. That order was affirmed by the Board of Environmental Protection in 2010 and the Maine Business and Consumer Court in 2012, according to the U.S. EPA permit record EPA permit history.
Is this a settlement or payout
No. This August 2026 complaint seeks enforceable cleanup deadlines and compliance.
It is not a final cleanup ruling and does not create a consumer claim form or payment fund. River-estuary mercury work is handled separately. A 2022 settlement requires Mallinckrodt to pay at least $187 million through a court-appointed trust, as reported by Maine Beacon Penobscot cleanup report.
What Orrington-area residents can do
Residents and river users should follow the Superior Court case for deadlines and required actions. Court orders, not press statements, will set what Mallinckrodt must do and when.
For status information, use the Maine DEP HoltraChem page for land-site updates and beyondholtrachem.com for river rehabilitation timelines. Save the property address, dates of residence or river use, and any DEP notices if later proceedings request public input.
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