[_redbird_]

Borrowing from GP's thread drift clause, i.e., the right to discuss at will topics off the OP, I am sharing a few news stories after typing in: "worst groundwater contamination story".

STOP! Do NOT click on links provided herein:

Simply catalog under "Things I DON'T want to know" and move on to the next CDF thread.

Highest Concentration Of Specific Ground Water Contamination In Northeast U.S.

The Nokia Virus: Finnish Town Faces Fecal Foul-up - International - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News

Worst contamination from Harbor Island Superfund site will go to landfill

CBC News Indepth: Health

Here's a winner:


*You mean that huge pile of toxic uranium tailings is located on a major fault line right next to the river that supplies all the water to 18,000,000 Southern Californians? Well, here's the story. It's leaking into the river. They don't want to move it somewhere else (where?) because of the dangerous vapors that will stir up. They don't want to leave it there because it's polluting the water.



*Toxic Uranium Tailings Near Colorado River!

Oh, the heck with it all. I don't want to hear about all that crap. I just want to go to the beach, or to the lake...DON'T DO IT!
Best (and worst) beaches in the U.S. - Today Show - MSNBC.com


Have a good day!

[nowata]

I have a story for you that has just started to develop. We purchased a piece of property with several oil wells on it in January of this year. We really loved the property but the former owner disclosed to us that he felt like the water well was contaminated with crude. Before we purchased the property we got a letter from the operator of the wells that states that the water had been tested by the Corporation Commission on several occasions and there was no contamination. The Corporation Commission assured us the same. They said the water was high in iron and very very hard but not contaminated. We talked to several water experts and they all said the same thing, there is nothing in water that can't be filtered out, even arsenic. So we purchased the property and opened the water well. For the first 30 minutes the water ran black, it looked and smelled like crude to us. We immediately went the following morning to the Corp. Commission office and told them, and they said oh thats just iron sulphate from the well being closed blah blah. We felt better then. So we went forward with testing and filtering the water. The simple test they run for bacteria and naturally occuring things all came back great except for the iron and hardness level. The water had a chemical like odor but everyone said it was from the high concentration of iron. So we filtered the water of iron, bacteria just in case and hardness. Then....you could really smell the crude. So after arguing with the corp comm for a week we find out that the test they ran was just to see if our water was high in chloride which would have meant salt water contamination well we didn't test high for chlorides so they said it wasn't contaminated. So I contacted OSU Extension and they told me of Volitile Organic compounds test that would tell me if I had gasoline or diesel range organics in my water. So I did this, took it to a certified lab in Tulsa, it came back positive for both. I took this back to the Corp Commission and they said they wanted to run their own test, they did and they said it was negative...go figure. So in the meantime we knew we were involved in a David and Goliath sort of thing so we decided to hire the best water well driller around to drill us a good well. Thankfully we live on the edge of the Vamoosa Ada Auqifer north of bristow that actually runs 400 feet underneath us. Our other well was at 190 feet. On the very day the Corp Commission tells us that they are closing our complaint the well driller drills 400 feet and hits the sands of the vamoosa ada auqifer. (The Vamoosa Ada Auqifer is a major auqifer that runs from Kansas almost through the whole state of Oklahoma) As he blew the water from the bottom of the whole it was straight oilfield brine! He shut down the rig and said this auqifer under you is contaminated. He called the Oklahoma Water Resource Board to let them know and to make sure he plugged off the contamination properly. The corporation commission says well they'll test the water to make sure he just didn't go beyond the treatable water zone and then they'd let us know something. Reckon their test will come back negative? We're freaking out cause we just put our savings in 160 acres of land where we dont even have one source of drinkable water. We drilled a 420 foot hole at 18 dollars a foot, then it had to be filled back with concrete to protect the other zone. Talk about throwing your money down a hole. Not only that it seems that the agency created to protect the environment from oilfield contamination treat you like your insignificant unless you have a "superfund" of contamination. We have saltwater injection wells surrounding our property on all sides. Now through google I find an application that the same operator that has our wells has the wells on the adjoining property next to us. 2 weeks ago I heard great commotion at a well that sits appx 250 feet from our water well. I called the corp commission to ask them if they'd had a leak and he said oh no he's just doing some cementing on a well over there. So me not knowing oilfield stuff searched and found out what cementing a well meant. It seems that through the application process to turn this well into a SW injection well that the integrity of the well and 2 other wells were compromised so the corp comm issued an order for him to cement the casing 500 feet to go past guess what the fresh, or treatable water zone at 400 feet. So when I called the corp comm back to ask him how long this operator had been pumping salt water into this well without cementing the casing and protecting our water zone, he said since oct. 2007 1 whole year! I asked him did he get a citation for this and he said no! I asked him why not it plainly stated that he had to cement before injection to protect the water zone, and he tells me that it was to his discretion that he didn't give him a citation. How bout this for a story.

[nevergoingback]

That post is frightening to me if it is true. Maybe Ok does have a good ol boys club.

Someday I'm sure we'll step into the 20th century.
(yes I know it's already the 21st century)

[colleeng47]

I think it's time to hire a lawyer. Sounds like you've been getting the run around for too long.

[Synopsis]

Originally Posted by nevergoingback

That post is frightening to me if it is true. Maybe Ok does have a good ol boys club.

Someday I'm sure we'll step into the 20th century.
(yes I know it's already the 21st century)

Believe me, as good as the people are in Oklahoma, there are A LOT of (not so) good 'ol boys.

Anyone who would knowingly destroy water resources like that just so they can make a buck has a special place reserved in hell.

[_redbird_]

Originally Posted by colleeng47

I think it's time to hire a lawyer. Sounds like you've been getting the run around for too long.

Make that a GOOD lawyer because you know the oil company's have lawyers protecting their intrerests.
The first post of this thread cites a court case against a drilling company for damages.

to the court case, MEINDERS, DON vs. TEXACO INC~take a look at the list of attorneys representing the oil interests below. The plaintiff had three attorneys. The oil company's have more resources than the average Oklahoma resident. And you KNOW they tried to settle out of court.

Attorney MORDY, MIKE - ARDMORE OK
Attorney MARTIN, TIMOTHY L - OKLAHOMA CITY OK
Attorney SULLIVAN, JOHN D - DENVER CO
Attorney GARDERE & WYNNE - TULSA OK
Attorney CROWE & DUNLEVY - OKLAHOMA CITY OK
Attorney SHILLING, THOMAS K - ARDMORE OK
Attorney CHAFFIN, DONALD J - ARDMORE OK
Attorney DUNAGAN, SIDNEY G - OKLAHOMA CITY OK
Attorney KEARNEY, DAVID L - OKLAHOMA CITY OK
Attorney SPIEGELBERG, FRANK D - TULSA OK
Attorney MORDY, BURKE - ARDMORE OK
Attorney MILLER, J RANDALL - TULSA OK
Attorney ADAMS, STEVEN J - TULSA OK
Attorney LANDRETH, LLOYD W - TULSA OK
Attorney TRIMBLE, PAUL D - OKLAHOMA CITY OK
Attorney BROWN, L VANCE - OKLAHOMA CITY OK
Attorney SPIEGELBERG, FRANK D - TULSA OK
Attorney HUCKABY, ROBERT L - OKLAHOMA CITY OK
Attorney CORDELL, F THOMAS JR - CHICKASHA OK
Attorney STEPHENS, STEPHEN R - OKLAHOMA CITY OK
Attorney DAVIS, GARY W - OKLAHOMA CITY OK
Attorney GRIFFIN, JOHN J JR - OKLAHOMA CITY OK
Attorney WALKER, L MARK - OKLAHOMA CITY OK
Attorney HART, DEAN JR - PAULS VALLEY OK
Attorney GRAHAM, ROGER - OKLAHOMA CITY OK
Attorney BALDWIN, THOMAS K - ARDMORE OK
Attorney MORDY, DAVID G - ARDMORE OK
Attorney BLAKLEY, KENNETH H - OKLAHOMA CITY OK
Attorney HUCKABY, CHRISTIAN S - CHICKASHA OK
Attorney MEDINA, J MICHAEL - TULSA OK
Attorney GELDERS, JOHN B - OKLAHOMA CITY OK
Attorney BEHRENS, VERLAND E - OKLAHOMA CITY OK
Attorney EPSTEIN, JON - OKLAHOMA CITY OK
Attorney MILLS, ROBERT B - OKLAHOMA CITY OK
Attorney DOUGHTY, STEFAN K - OKLAHOMA CITY OK
Defendant TEXACO INC - OKLAHOMA CITY OK
Defendant TEXACO EXPLORATION & PROD INC - DENVER CO
Defendant TEXAS COMPANY, THE
Defendant TEXACO USA INC
Defendant ORXY ENERGY COMPANY
Defendant SUN EXPL & PROD CO, FKA
Defendant TEXAS PACIFIC COAL & OIL CO
Defendant MID-CONTINENT PETRO CORP
Defendant SUNRAY DX OIL COMPANY
Defendant MOBIL OIL CORPORATION
Defendant MAGNOLIA PETROLEUM COMPANY
Defendant EXXON CORPORATION - OKLAHOMA CITY OK
Defendant CARTER OIL COMPANY
Defendant WALTERS, FRANK
Defendant GAY DRILLING CONTRACTORS
Defendant BUSEY, NAMEN
Defendant STATE OIL COMPANY
Defendant TRIPLEDEE DRILLING CO INC
Defendant WALKER, KEITH F
Defendant CLEARY INC, W B
Defendant JACKSON RANCHERS INC
Defendant JONES DRILLING CO, L E
Defendant SIMPSON-FELL OIL CO
Defendant JACKSON INC F/K/A, MILES
Defendant JACKSON DRILLING CO, MILES
Defendant DOBBINS, C W
Defendant DOBBINS, C W JR
Defendant LONDON, RAYMOND
Defendant POPE-WILSON INC
Defendant ATHEY SNIPER STEIN CO
Defendant ATHEY SMYER & STEIN
Defendant TOMLINSON, C W
Defendant TOMLINSON, J R
Defendant JONES & GILLIAM DRILLING CO.
Defendant PATSY OIL & GAS CORPORATION
Defendant ATLANTIC RICHFIELD COMPANY FKA
Defendant SINCLAIR OIL & GAS CO
Defendant DINSMORE, MARSHA JANET - MINNEKAH OK
Defendant JOHNSON, TIM
Defendant WALTERS, MARGIE
Defendant JOHNSON, ARNOLD
Defendant JOHNSON, WYNEMA
Defendant TUCKER, EJ
Defendant TUCKER, BETTY JEAN
Defendant HODGES, WILLIAM
Defendant HODGES, GERALDINE

[_redbird_]

Originally Posted by nowata

We're freaking out cause we just put our savings in 160 acres of land where we dont even have one source of drinkable water. How bout this for a story.

The only thing that gets their attention is money. In case anyone else is curious as to what happened on the court case cited on first post of this thread:

Plaintiff testified that *** had been observed pumping salt brine into one or more open well bores without a valid permit from the Corporation Commission, and Plaintiff attributed much of the damage to his surface estate and subsurface aquifers directly to pollution from mineral operations by *** ***, Defendants' immediate predecessor in interest.

Plaintiff settled with some of the defendants, received over four million dollars in settlement proceeds, and dismissed his claims against the defendants with whom he settled.

David didn't some much beat Goliath in that case~ but took a buyout. Goliath continues to drill all over Oklahoma and other states.

[karibear]

Originally Posted by redbird4848

The only thing that gets their attention is money. In case anyone else is curious as to what happened on the court case cited on first post of this thread:

Plaintiff testified that *** had been observed pumping salt brine into one or more open well bores without a valid permit from the Corporation Commission, and Plaintiff attributed much of the damage to his surface estate and subsurface aquifers directly to pollution from mineral operations by *** ***, Defendants' immediate predecessor in interest.

Plaintiff settled with some of the defendants, received over four million dollars in settlement proceeds, and dismissed his claims against the defendants with whom he settled.

David didn't some much beat Goliath in that case~ but took a buyout. Goliath continues to drill all over Oklahoma and other states.

I wonder how much of that 4 million he actually got to keep after paying all legal fees, etc. That still leaves the land ruined, too.

[_redbird_]

There is a question and answer web site link below. First, here is an example of a question posed:

"Question(6/21/06)
We were approached to lease our land in S. Oklahoma and received $1000 per acre! Several companies called us. Work was begun 6 weeks ago at the site. How long until this well is finished? We got the feeling that this was a hot location because they paid so much to lease each acre. Our share of the 120 family acres was 9 acres. If they do strike gas /oil, how much might we make on a monthly basis? An oil well very close either made $5 million last year or produced 5 million barrels, we aren't sure, but that is what they told us."

For the the answer and more Q&A's, go to:

Oil/Gas: How long to drill well in Southern Oklahoma, drilling conditions, consulting engineer

They've got some pretty good information there. I know a lot of okies are being approached and it always helps to be informed.

[sanmill]

Hey, I'm new to this site. I have been trying to find out the water table in hughes co . We bought property not far Weleetka Ok. Right down hill 1/4 mi is Canandian river. We are wanting to drill a well, don't think there is rural water that far out. Any info would be greatly appreicated.