Fouled water wells spur furor
Share with others:
By Nicholas Kusnetz
Residents of Dimock, in northeastern Pennsylvania, said they were surprised -- and in some cases upset -- by the settlement that state environmental regulators reached last week with Cabot Oil & Gas, which the state Department of Environmental Protection says contaminated 18 water wells with methane from its gas-drilling operations.
The homeowners were told in September that the DEP was going to provide them with fresh water by building a pipeline from a nearby water treatment facility. A state infrastructure fund would have fronted the $11.8 million cost of the project, and the DEP was going to seek reimbursement from Cabot.
But last week, the DEP announced that the pipeline project was dead and that Cabot had agreed instead to give the homeowners $4.1 million and provide treatment systems for their well water. The 19 families who draw water from the wells will be offered payments equal to twice the value of their homes, with a minimum payment of $50,000. The settlement also gives the DEP $500,000 to cover the cost of the investigation.
Some of the residents are outraged by the change in plans, even though they say they will accept Cabot's offer.
"They destroy your life, your water, and for compensation they wave a little bit of money and expect you to take it and abandon your home," said Julie Sautner, who says her well was the first to be contaminated, in September 2008. "Just take the money and shut up. This is America, and I never expected this."
Ms. Sautner and several other homeowners filed a federal lawsuit against Cabot last year, seeking damages for their losses and a fund to cover the cost of any medical treatment that might be caused by the contamination. They also want to stop the company from any further drilling in the area. The new settlement is not expected to affect this separate civil suit. The affected area is about 30 miles north of Scranton.
First Published December 22, 2010 12:00 am
