Contaminated Water

What are you drinking?

How do you drink your water? Is it out of a bottle, purifier, or the tap? Water should be a staple of everyone's diet and it's disheartening to hear all the contamination cases throughout the country.

Montana's Colstrip power settled a case last week for $25 million because their holding ponds leaked into local towns. Contaminant's were found in nearby water supplies and individual homeowner's wells. It is also alleged that one reservoir leaked into a town's water supply, and raised the water level enough to cause structural damage to some homes. The company has taken steps to secure their reservoirs with rubber liners. (Brown, www.seattlepi.com, 5/2/08)

Chevron and 10 other oil companies have agreed to a settlement of $423 million to remedy their use of MTBE and it's contamination of the water supply in 17 states. MTBE, methyl tertiary butyl ether, was used as a gasoline additive which reduced air pollution. However, it has been discovered that when MTBE is burned it causes massive contamination of wells and aquifers. The oil companies involved will fund a 30 year water treatment program for areas of severe contamination. (Glovin, www.bloomberg.com, 5/8/08)

So what's in your water? Your water supplier is required to notify you if your water does not meet the Environmental Protection Agency's standards. If you have further questions or concerns the EPA's website on ground water and drinking water (http://www.epa.gov/OGWDW/faq/faq.html) is a great resource.

Contact Foran & Foran, P.A. for all injury cases including contamination cases.