Flooded Refinery Being Sued

Legal action is being taken against the refinery in Coffeyville where tens of thousands of gallons of oil leaked into flood waters. The lawsuit was filed by a law firm on behalf of a man who lost his

Friday, July 6th 2007, 3:39 pm

By: News On 6

Legal action is being taken against the refinery in Coffeyville where tens of thousands of gallons of oil leaked into flood waters. The lawsuit was filed by a law firm on behalf of a man who lost his home and business in the oil contaminated flood. The law firm claims more than 70,000 gallons of oil leaked into the Verdigris River on Sunday. The refinery says only 42,000 gallons of crude oil spilled into the water.

An investigation into what caused the spill is underway. The oily residue has washed downstream and into Lake Oologah where the Environmental Protection Agency is working to soak up the remnants of the spill. The lake is the city of Tulsaâ€™s water source, but authorities say there is no danger to the cityâ€™s drinking water.

Meanwhile, Coffeyville residents are not being allowed in their water drenched homes. We're told people have been reporting rashes and diarrhea, so officials are waiting on environmental tests before allowing other back into flooded areas.