Residents of Liberty Village v ExxonMobil Corporation
Villages Contaminated Water Supply leads to lawsuit
Years of contamination of village water by a gasoline additive has led to a lawsuit against ExxonMobil Corp. and Liberty Village. The lawsuit involves almost 100 people who have lived or worked in the village since MTBE was found in water from the Elm Street well.
The lawsuit is the latest step since 1992, when the state Department of Health found MTBE in the Liberty village well. In a public health assessment draft released 2004, the DOH estimated contamination went on for as long as 14 years, from 1979 to 1993. Lower levels of MTBE were found in the water after 1993. The village still uses the well. The DEC tests the water regularly for contaminants. Very low levels of MTBE and other chemicals have been found.
The lawsuit argues that oil companies had responsibilities to make sure their products were safe, and to warn independent "Mom and Pop" distributors and the public that MTBE is highly soluble in water, and therefore very likely to contaminate water supplies in the event of a leak or spill.
The federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry says benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene have also been found in the water. Benzene is a known carcinogen.
Residents of Liberty Village were unaware benzene was in the water. The attorney representing the residents states "It is a horrific situation." "They drank it (the water)," he said. "They cooked with it. They bathed in it. They bathed their children in it."
