Katherine PFAS victims welcome government bid to hold 3M 'to account'

The impacts of PFAS contamination are still being felt in Katherine today. (ABC News: Michael Franchi)

Katherine residents have welcomed news the Commonwealth is suing company 3M over contamination from PFAS firefighting foam.

PFAS contamination of the town was announced in 2016, and residents are still advised not to drink bore water in the contamination zone and to watch their consumption of local fish and eggs.

Some locals say there is still unfinished work to be done on compensation and health studies.

When news broke on Thursday that the federal government would take the company 3M to court over PFAS contamination, seeking $2 billion in damages, Katherine resident and GP clinic owner Anjali Palmer was pleasantly surprised.

"I think it's about time we started holding large corporations to account.

"The damage done to the environment and to people's health has been so concerning for residents."

Anjali Palmer says she's pleased the government is taking 3M to court over PFAS contamination. (ABC News: Isabel Moussalli)

The federal government recently said it would seek damages to claw back the $1.3 billion the Department of Defence has already spent on tackling PFAS contamination at bases around the country, as well as projected future spending on the issue.

But Ms Palmer said she would like to see some of the money from any potential win go towards initiatives focused on the health of locals and the environment in Katherine, not just shoring up Defence's bottom line.

At RAAF Base Tindal, near Katherine, government sources say Defence has so far spent $107 million on PFAS treatment — with two treatment plants on the base having processed more than 3.6 billion litres of contaminated groundwater.

In a statement released last week, 3M said it would defend itself against the Australian government's claims.

RAAF Base Tindal is about a 15-minute drive south-east of Katherine. (Supplied: Defence/OFFCDT David Campbell)

PFAS contamination in Katherine was first announced by Defence in 2016 — the result of decades of use of PFAS-containing firefighting foam at Tindal, which sits above a large and interconnected aquifer.

In the immediate aftermath, Katherine's town pool was closed and Defence trucked in bottled water.

Commonwealth to sue the manufacturer of a firefighting foam containing PFAS chemicals that contaminated 28 Defence Force bases across Australia.

A class action, settled in 2020, resulted in Defence paying $92.5 million to Katherine home owners and businesses to compensate for lost property value, as part of a broader class action that