Workers try to stop salt water flow

DAVIS, Okla. (AP) _ A south Oklahoma rancher is frustrated and state officials are stymied over the source of salt water seeping across his land. <br/><br/>Rick LaNoy of Davis discovered the leaking salt

Monday, February 7th 2005, 9:39 am

By: News On 6

DAVIS, Okla. (AP) _ A south Oklahoma rancher is frustrated and state officials are stymied over the source of salt water seeping across his land.

Rick LaNoy of Davis discovered the leaking salt water in August after having water wells dug on his farm. Since then its polluted his pond, killing fish, trees and ducks and he's had five stillborn calves.

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission is trying to stop the salt water from polluting the nearby Washita River, but can't pinpoint the source of the leak.

Commission spokesman Matt Skinner says an inactive oil well is suspected of being the source, but the well has been plugged and there's no drop in the salt in LaNoy's pond. Skinner says there's another inactive well nearby and investigators can only go by the process of elimination until the find the source.

The state has offered to buy the land, but LaNoy says it was willed to him by his mother and he promised to never sell it.