Montana residents take power companies to court over well contamination and other issues

February 3, 2008 - Black and oily. Orange and brackish. Even slimy.

More than one Colstrip resident used those words to describe well water in their hometown. And they point their fingers at the Colstrip Steam Electric Station, alleging that the plant's discharge ponds are the source of the contamination.

The lawsuit, filed in 2003, was driven by two key complaints. Plaintiffs claim the plant's freshwater source, Castle Rock Lake, has leaked so much that it raised the water level under the town, leading to uneven settling and structural damage.

They also claim that the plant's discharge ponds have also leaked, sending a plume of contamination north of town into the nearby B&R Subdivision, down to the golf course and even into Armell Creek, which drains into the Yellowstone River, 30 miles distant.

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