Fort Worth may pay $2.4 million to break up with fertilizer company accused of pollution
The Fort Worth City Council will vote Tuesday on whether to end its contract with Synago — a fertilizer company blamed for polluting Johnson County farms with forever chemicals.
Fort Worth hired Synagro in 2019 to run the city’s biosolids program, which separates nutrients from waste water to turn into fertilizer pellets.
It also agreed to pay the company roughly $58 million to design and construct updates to the city’s Village Creek waste treatment plant to convert waste water into fertilizer pellets. That facility opened in 2022, according to a city spokesperson.
That contract was expected to run until 2030, however “various disputes arose leading to a mutual decision to settle all claims and end the contract,” according to city documents.
The decision to end the contract stemmed from disagreements between the city and Synagro about requirements in the city’s contract, a city spokesperson said in an email to the Star-Telegram.
Fort Worth is considering paying Synago $2.4 million for past operations and maintenance costs, the spokesperson said. This would close out the contract and prevent any legal disputes between the city and Synagro, the spokesperson said.
Five Johnson County farmers have sued Synagro in federal court, alleging the company’s fertilizer was responsible for killing livestock and leading some to be born with deformities.
Synagro has denied responsibility, citing a March 18 report that said there was no connection between the company’s fertilizer and the forever chemical contamination.
Representatives for the farmers and the company did not immediately respond to emails from the Star-Telegram requesting comment.
Johnson County commissioners unanimously passed a disaster declaration in February in response to tests that found forever chemical contamination in soil, water and animal tissue on agricultural land. The commissioners cited health impacts from the chemicals not breaking down and accumulating in humans and animals over time.
Representatives for Johnson County did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Star-Telegram.
The city of Fort Worth is also suing the Defense Department and several chemical manufacturers over water contamination around Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, citing similar concerns.
The City Council will vote on the contract termination at its 10 a.m. council meeting March. 25 at City Hall, 100 Fort Worth Trail.
This story was originally published March 24, 2025 at 12:35 PM.
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