State Rep. Lundy Kiger (R-Poteau) today commented on the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) final report on Heavener water and the amount of damages owed by Veolia North America.
“When you read the full letter from DEQ to Veolia North America explaining the number of violations with detailed analysis, you get a crystal clear picture of the total neglect and incompetence by this French company and their employees and why DEQ states in the report that there’s now a real threat to the public’s health in Heavener,” Kiger said.
“With high Turbidity (cloudy and dirty water) with possible bacteria and living organisms, along with low Ph that creates corrosive water and little to no chlorine, this puts the people in Heavener at a higher risk of health concerns.
“A low Ph over time creates corrosive water, and this water enters the water distribution system (pipes) and is sent into homes. A low Ph water is one of several reasons the city’s water pipes have been eaten away and have broken and why so many water breaks occurred when the city prepared for DEQ’s visit. The city had over nine water line breaks in three weeks.
“Imagine, if corrosive water from low Ph water can eat away the insides of a metal pipe – breaking up the metal and loosening the trapped chemicals to flake off and flow down the water pipes into the homes – what can this same corrosive water do to someone’s stomach when the water is consumed, or if that person is very young or older and frail and they are showering in it? The human body isn’t made to endure corrosive water; this is why it’s so important that municipalities produce the cleanest water possible.
“Because of receiving so many health complaints from Heavener residents I asked the public to email me at lundy.kiger@okhouse.gov to tell me their stories of health problems related to skin rashes with burns and sometime scarring, as well as illnesses related to unknown stomach viruses. I’m also receiving emails from people who grew up in Heavener and suffered from some of these symptoms and still continue to receive medication for their health problems.
“My office is compiling each of these stories, and I’ve asked the State Health Department to begin taking a close look at each of the health complaints in Heavener to see if this warrants a closer look. The Health Department agreed to comply.
“I want to make certain whether this corrosive water has caused senseless health issues for the men, women and children in this town or not. If it can be confirmed that some or many of these illnesses has been caused by the dirty noncompliant water produced by Veolia, then I’ll do everything possible to hold this company responsible in their final amount owed, which would well exceed $3 million.
“I have other concerns related to what this company has or hasn’t done while getting paid almost $200,000 a month from the city, and I strongly believe that Veolia owes the people of Heavener compensation for not only health-related issues, but for personal property that has been damaged or destroyed for the past 25 years.
“I have seen and heard countless stories of appliances, clothing, water filtration systems and swimming pools rendered useless at large costs to these citizens, including water bills averaging over $100 each month. And to make it worse, these people can’t even drink or use the water for many of their daily needs, and many who can afford it are buying bottled water to drink and cook. But not everyone is able to buy $100 of bottled water each month, and many of these people are making complaints that may be valid.
“So no, a fine of $3 million isn’t nearly enough for this company that has almost destroyed this town and the health of these residents and the economics of the businesses located in Heavener! Maybe a good start while Veolia is working to fix the neglect they created at the water treatment plant is for Veolia to consider replacing all of the water pipes in town that this company helped destroy over the past 25 years. Then the next step would be for Veolia to pack up and move out of Heavener and the state of Oklahoma for good!”
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