At an interim hearing at the state capitol Tuesday, a state representative from north-central Oklahoma questioned whether the state was properly inspecting oil and gas wells and had the rules necessary to prevent contamination of water supplies.
Republican Representative Steve Vaughan of Ponca City conducted the interim study and held the hearing. Vaughan is concerned about saltwater pollution in Kay and Noble Counties, which has had large-scale fish-kills for three years in a row.
Local resident Jack Klinger, who has lived near the river for more than 70 years, spoke at the hearing and said his water wells have been contaminated.
In 2013, our salt and calcium was just a little over 20. We had it tested when we couldn’t use our water and it was 2,180 in salt and calcium. So something has to be leaking, something has to be getting into it in order to do that.
Environmental investigators listed oil and gas pollution as a possible cause of the recent fish-kills. Stricter rules on oil well testing go into effect later this week, but Representative Vaughan says Oklahoma’s oil and gas regulator doesn’t have enough field inspectors.
