U.S. Water News Online
COFFEYVILLE, Kan. -- As Coffeyville residents continued to regroup, a week after floodwaters inundated their homes and businesses, the government raised new concerns about health problems from the contaminated water and its residue.
Lawns, houses and ballfields on the city's east side were streaked with blackish oily stains left behind after 71,400 gallons of crude oil spilled from the Coffeyville Resources refinery recently because of a malfunction while the refinery shut down before the flooding along the Verdigris River.
The smell of oil also has lingered.
Officials have revoked all privileges for residents who had been allowed back into their homes earlier in the week and again restricted access to the affected area, on the east side of the city of 16,000 residents. That was after emergency workers began reporting they were experiencing rashes and diarrhea.
Later, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that two floodwater samples from Coffeyville showed the level of fecal coliform bacteria was more than 130 times the standard. The bacteria can cause stomachache, fever, vomiting and diarrhea, the agency said. A cut or a wound at the point of contact with the bacteria can lead to fever, redness and swelling, the EPA said.
"We have several concerns for the residents of Coffeyville," said Sue Casteel, environmental scientist for the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. "What we observed with people who came in contact with oil at Katrina was they would develop rashes and red flaky skin."
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