Edmond Residents Suing ConocoPhillips Over Contamination

Residents in an Edmond neighborhood say ConocoPhillips contaminated their land to the point where they can't grow vegetables. Now they are suing the oil giant.

Jury selection began Tuesday, May 14, 2019 in the federal trial. 

The Clifford Farms neighborhood located off 178th Street in Edmond between May Avenue and Pennsylvania, is close to where the old West Edmond Oil Field used to be located.

The 32 homeowners that are suing Conoco say back in the ‘40s, ‘50s and ‘60s Conoco owned and operated oil, gas and disposal wells near or on where the residents now live.  During that time, they say, Conoco allowed salt water, brine and other substances to flow over onto the surface and surface water. Also, the resident claim Conoco didn't clean it up correctly.

Years later, the residents built and bought homes on the property and say no one ever disclosed the contamination. As a result, the homeowners who didn't have access to city water say they "have consumed water containing chlorides in excess of secondary drinking water standards."  And the soil is contaminated and "unable to grow and/or sustain growth of trees, flowers or other landscape amenities."

In the federal trial, the residents are asking for Conoco to immediately provide an alternate water supply, clean up the contamination and pay them for damages.

News 9 reached out to Conoco for a response, and the company sent the following statement: 

ConocoPhillips’ detailed position in the lawsuit is documented in its pleadings and briefings, which are on file with the court. At the highest level:

We deny all of the allegations and will vigorously defend this lawsuit.  Continental Oil Company, a predecessor company to ConocoPhillips, sold its interest in these wells to subsequent operators over 50 years ago - in 1966.  During its time as operator in this area, there is no evidence that Continental Oil Company violated any regulations or laws, or caused any contamination to the property.