"I'm told my house is worthless now," said Mosley.
That's because his well is contaminated, leaving the water unusable. The water has dangerous levels of petroleum in it. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has linked the problem to a leak from an underground storage tank at a gas station next door.
Officials believe gas seeped into the ground back in the 1980s or 1990s. The tanks were pulled in 1998, but the store's former owner couldn't afford to clean up the mess. In 2003, the state took over responsibility for the contamination.
State workers handling the case said public health is their top priority. Still, they said it could take years to clean up the contamination on Moseley's property, because it's one of 1,400 sites around the state they're working on.
Most of Moseley's neighbors only have traces of petroleum in their water. One other well has shown signs of dangerous levels.
"I don't want to find out 10 years from now I got cancer from drinking this water," said Moseley.
With no solution is sight, the state now delivers water to Moseley's house -- a house he worries may be worth little in the long run.
• Credits
Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
