Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-09-27
OIL MEN MUST FIGHT.
A Water Company Bringing Suit to
Make Them Close Up Wells.
BEAVER VALLEY PEOPLE In ARMS.
The Allegheny Being Polluted by Refuse
Salt From Wildwood.
MONONGAHELA MYSTERY EXPLAINED

Knox & Reed, the well-known attorneys
of this city, and Buchanan & Laird, of
Beaver, will file bill in equity this alter
noon to restrain the Enterprise Oil Com
pany from operating its oil wells near the
Connoquenessing river. The suit is an i'm
portant one, and will be the first step to
abate the nuisance of salt water flowing
into fresh water streams.
There is a law in existence compelling oil
drillers 10 close up abandoned wells and
stop the flow of salt water, but nobody pays
any attention to it. Allegheny residents
are already complaining about the nauseat-
ing stuff flowing into the Allegheny via
Pine creek from the wells in the neighbor-
hood of the Wildwood district. 1t is pumped
into the Allegheny reservoir, and people are
compelled to use it. At a low water stage,
say during the summer, the salt water ref
use, it is said, would breed disease among
consumers of the water.
Considerable trouble has been caused on
the Monongahela, when the river is low, by
the flow from the wells in Greene county,
and it is declared that if the wells now
flowing are not plugged up. it will affect
SUIT OF A WATER COMPANY.
The bill in equity to be filed to-day is on
behalf of the Union Water Company of
Beaver Falls, which supplies water to the
residents and manufacturers of the Beaver
Valley. Several legal authorities say there
is no question but that the injunction to
restrain the oil company from operating
ypfl ha tad
is the case, suits will be entered
against all the oil op orators in that section.
The people of the entire Bea yer and Como
Quenessing Valleys are up in arms against
the oil companies, in defense of pure water.
They claim the Connoquenessing and Beaver
rivers have been aimost ruined for domestic
purposes by the enormous quantities of salt
water flowing into them. The wells are
located in Butler CO unity, and the salt water
finds its way to the smaller streams, thence
to the Connoquene sing and thence to the
Beaver river.
In an interview with a well known oper-
ator yesterday, he said that on account of
the oil development in Butler county
working eastward, it will soon be
on the eastern slope of the water
shed. As this delu ge of salt water will be
thrown into the streams tributary to the AL
legheny river, the cities of Pittsburg and
Allegheny will be affected by the polluted
water sucked into the reservoirs and then
discharged into the mains for people to
drink. Thousands of barrels of salt water
are flowing into the stream now daily, and
each month the nuisance is increasing. This
is being done in defiance of the law which is
supposed to prohibit it. The wells in
Greene county practically ruined the
streams tributary to the Monongahela river,
killing fish, giving cattle and horses dis
ease, and excessive quantities of salt water
have been found at the mouth of the river in
this city.
KILLED OFF THE FISH.
Some weeks ago the green, scummy
water in the Monongahela river caused
considerable talk, and at that time people
wondered what caused it Thousands of
fish were found floating dead on the water,
and it was discovered that this oil refuse
ana salt water killed them, as stated at the
time in The DISPATCH. The cause of the
large flow of salt water is mostly due to the
operators working in the 100-foot field.
The Union Water Company furnishes
daily to the Il, 900 people in Beaver Falls
I, ,oO, 900 gallons OF water and the supply is
drawn from the Beaver river, which is the
only source of water supply for the district.
In addition to those supplied by the COM
pany there are q, 900 more peo"'e depending
on the DeaVek river IOr InelF supply. 1ue
company claims that since August 1 of the
present year the water in the river has be-
come impure and unfit for consumption. 1t
was made SO. the company claims, by the oil
company allowing to flow into the river
loo, 600 gallons of salt water daily. The
water, it further claims, is a
nauseous solution from well
on the farm of Frank Wilson, in
North SewIckley. 1t flows distance of 10
miles from the well to the Beaver river,
where it is pumped into the reservoir of the
water company.
It is also claimed that cattle owned by
farmers after drinking the water, have be-
come sick, and thousands of fish have been
killed in the streams. The water in some
places is filthy, and at low tide it will breed
sickness among consumers. The court is
asked for an injunction restraining the COM
pany from operating the well, or else compel
it to shut off the salt water