Amazon has agreed to pay $20.5 million in a class action settlement over pollution in Eastern Oregon, marking the first time a Big Tech company has committed to paying damages related to public health threats exacerbated by its data centers. The settlement was filed in the U.S. District Court in Pendleton by attorney Steve Berman on behalf of six Eastern Oregon residents. The Lower Umatilla Basin, the only source of drinking water for up to 45,000 residents, has been polluted by nitrates, a byproduct of chemical fertilizers used by farms and food processing plants in the area. Amazon's data centers have contributed to the pollution through their annual discharge of tens of millions of gallons of water, used to cool server equipment, which accelerates the movement of existing nitrates through the soil and into the basin. The company denies all allegations of wrongful conduct and damages by Plaintiffs and intends to settle all claims to avoid the burdens and expense of litigation. The money will be allocated into two primary funds for any resident in the Basin Groundwater Area after covering attorney fees.