by: Mikaela Madalinski
Externalities Involved in Water Contamination
I recently read an article that focused on a man that had been drinking contaminated water that came from a nearby spring to the tap in his cabin in Western Colorado. About a year and a half ago, he took a drink of the bad water and it resulted in throat burning, head pounding, stomach pain and feelings of suffocation. The reason that his water is contaminated is due to surrounding oil and gas fields. Before this incident, Ned Prather had no idea that he had been drinking contaminated water. Tests showed that the water from the spring he had been drinking from for years and years is heavily contaminated with BTEX – Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzine and Xylene, which is a mix of chemicals that are not only damaging to the nervous system but are also carcinogenic. This case is a great example of an externality. It is clear that the BTEX in Prather’s water is from oil and gas production because it is exactly the mix of chemicals that comes to the surface in the production water of oil and gas wells.
The sad truth is that 16 months after Prather drank the terrible throat burning water; there is not one source that has been pinned down for the contamination. His tap water still yields a very strong odor, similar to that of diesel fuel. Water contamination is very common anywhere where oil and gas are being sequestered. In fact, in 2008 there were 206 spills in Colorado that were connected to or suspected to be connected to 48 cases of water contamination. I am sure that this issue of externalities is being dealt with all across the world. What is the proper way to handle the externalities involved in water contamination?
Link to the article I read:
http://www.denverpost.com/recommended/ci_13535728
12 comments:
Is there no way he can sue? Someone simply needs to have some oversight over oil companies and where their waste leeches into.
This is an interesting article focusing on the problem which we all have to face. yes, it would be great if he can sue them.
I would think that the EPA would take action in a case like this. As far as I know it is their responsibility to regulate this type of pollution and unlawful acts of polluting with companies that do not abide by the regulations. They try to regulate the externalities caused by companies that do not follow safe procedures or endanger the public from breaking the law. They should have the budget and resources to investigate cases like this, and in the end fine the company that caused the damage
I think the only thing he can do is to try to file a lawsuit against the company and also try to get the EPA involved because they have to be able to do something about that. Other than that, I'm not sure what else can happen to control the externalities stemming from the oil and gas production. It seems to me that this is quite a severe problem and it should be dealt with in a timely fashion by whoever is accountable.
Is it unlawful for oil and gas companies to do this sort of polluting? I'm not sure they are even being restricted from using/dumping these chemicals. Oil and gas productions has a multitude of externalities ranging from environmental damage to human health risks. I would agree that this is a situation the EPA should address. Does anyone know if they have actually done anything?
I think there is something he can do. Getting the EPA involved would be the first thing I would suggest. It is there job to regulate these things. EPA should have oversight over oil companies and what they do with there hazardous waste.
The western slope is a perfect example of the lack of accountability placed upon oil companies by our citizenship, and government. The only thing that will ever come of this is that Ned will die many years before his time. The average voter isn't willing to pay higher prices 'at the pump' to remove the negative externalizes. Joe six-pack, the SUV driving commuter from Aurora, doesn't give a darn about Ned Prathers well being. What is this, the 18th century? Who gets there water from wells anyway? Water comes in plastic bottles from costco.
I also think that the best bet is to go to the EPA and try and get them involved. It seems like this is the type of case that they should get involved in and help the attack on the oil company
I think that not only do there need to be some class action law suits, there also needs to be people coming together to demand legislation so that it doesn't keep happening. 206 spills? That's a terrible record.
Who is he going to sue? It seems to me that they can't find the source of the contamination. What needs to be done is to start stricter regulations on the gas and oil drilling especially in areas with groundwater wells.
Wrote the last comment.
Sam, that is true, they can't pinpoint one source of the oil spills. That is why the EPA has been unable to help Ned out. They can't help him to sue anyone if there is not one source for them to attack.
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