City Of Bethany Sues Companies Over Water Contamination

In a new lawsuit, the City of Bethany is alleging Rockwell Automation and Gulfstream Aerospace knew cancer causing toxins had leeched into the ground water and haven't done anything to stop them from spreading.

According to the suit, the companies were told unsafe levels of the chemicals Trichlorothene and Tetrachlorothene were found in the groundwater in 2008. Both chemicals are used to degrease planes.

The city wasn't notified until 2012.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) deems anything over five parts per billion as unacceptable. The city's attorney, David Davis said near the contamination site levels were as high as 40 parts per billion.

Davis, who declined to go on camera but did speak over the phone on Tuesday, said neither company has done anything to stop the problem, despite making a deal with the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to take steps to clean up the leaking.

Davis said both companies have done numerous studies but haven’t taken any standing action.

Since learning about the contamination, the city has shut down two drinking water wells and officials don't think the public was ever truly at risk, but it has put the city in a tight spot. Without the wells, Bethany doesn't have enough water to serve the city and in recent years has turned to buying water from Oklahoma City.

Neither company immediately responded to a request for a comment.