A Rude Awakening in the Heartland
BY DANA & DON ELLEBRACHT

West Alton, Missouri is a very small town (pop. 573) at the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. Nine different pipelines run through it. Our awakening to a problem concerning pipelines occurred on Monday, May 13, 2002, during one of our wettest springs-causing the water table to rise extremely high. So high that it reached soil on our property that had been contaminated by one of the pipelines. As we approached our back porch, we smelled a strong petroleum odor. By the time we opened the back door our eyes and noses were burning. The fire department was called and they came to air our house out. A Conoco pipeline representative was brought to the house that stated that the odor was probably "sewer gas." When we questioned that statement, he then stated, "I don't smell anything." At this point, credibility as well as trust started flying out the window.

Photo: Don Ellebracht

Sample after sample was taken in our surrounding area, but a lot of that sampling has been called into question because of the way it was taken. For example, the pipeline's independent testing company left soil samples setting in the summer sun, which allows chemicals to evaporate out, before being capped and finally iced prior to being taken to the lab. Both the testing company and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) used groundwater testing protocols, which seem inappropriate when testing drinking water. Instead, drinking water protocols would have provided more accurate data. They also failed to test our wells for lead.

Even so, water samples from our well did indicate that the level of benzene was well above EPA allowable levels. MTBE was detected in the majority of wells tested around us in addition to our own. Heavy contamination was also found in the soil & groundwater all around the pipelines and in surrounding properties. We finally paid an independent lab ourselves, which found lead in excess of allowed levels in our well. Lead was also detected in our blood.

In the meantime, more and more questions that property owners were asking went unanswered. Some answers couldn't be verified and some seemed to be outright lies.

The MDNR wasn't much help either. The first person they sent got out of their vehicle with a map in hand, and looking skyward asked, "Where's the pipeline?" They then told us not to worry, "the petroleum by-products will help seal any leaks."

We fought for over 21 months for answers and solutions. We were threatened with a lawsuit by the MDNR to either sell the property to the pipeline company immediately or they would all walk away and this problem would be our responsibility. In the end, we sold our house and property, which had been in the family for over fifty years, to Conoco in January. We were told that they plan to demolish our house and plant poplar trees to suck up the contamination and remediate the soil. So our advice to any homeowner that may be unfortunate enough to have to face this, or a similar pipeline nightmare is:

* Do not trust freely, make agencies and companies earn your trust,
* Ask questions and re-ask questions,
* Verify all "facts,"
* Document and record everything.

 

For more information, follow the links below:
Model Setback and Depth Requirements Ordinance for Transmission Pipelines
Special Report - Transmission Pipelines and Land Use
0825 CFER HCA Report (pdf)
St. Peter's Disclosure Ordinance No. 4238 (pdf)
St. Peter's Disclosure Setback Ordinance No. 4237 (pdf)
Setbacks and Zoning for Natural Gas and Hazardous Liquid Transmission Pipelines