In partnership with ProPublica
It started as an American dream. The Meredith family of Fort Gibson, Oklahoma, spent 12 years saving for the perfect home only to have it destroyed overnight when oily black water surged up through the foundation. In Arcadia, Oklahoma, the Boarmans watched the plants in their yard wither and die as toxic pollutants commonly found in oilfield waste seeped into their drinking water well.
These two families would soon discover they were part of a rapidly escalating environmental crisis unfolding beneath their feet. In a new documentary from The Frontier and ProPublica, reporter Nick Bowlin investigates the scope of this massive problem now threatening the drinking water and environment of oil-producing states across the country.
About half of Oklahomans live within a mile of an oil and gas operation. Across the state, wastewater from oil and gas operations is spreading uncontrollably belowground, blasting out of old wells, polluting the environment and contaminating drinking water…