Marlin Kremeier, southeast of Okarche, discovered a saltwater stream on one of his farms last week.

He noticed the level of a pond he uses for stock water was only six inches below the runoff pipe, up considerably from the last time he noticed it.

Closer inspection revealed a waterway leading from an old oil well location to the pond.

Kremeier contracted the Oklahoma Corporation Commission.

He said the corporation commission took steps, leading to alleviating the salt water, plus doing a test of the water in the pond.

The water test verdict: “Bad,” he said.

Kremeier said he was told the test indicated the water matched the salinity of sea water – too salty for his cows to drink. (He has a herd of red Angus cows on the place.)

He said he has had to hold the cattle on the east side of the farm so that they can’t reach the water.

Kremeier uses the land on that farm for graze-out purposes so livestock water is important to his operation.

Finding a permanent solution to the salt water leak is the next step in solving the problem.

Kremeier said if a heavy rain arrives, the salt water could be pushed out of the pond into a second lake downstream from the farm, adding to the problems.

(As an aside, Kremeier began farming as a senior in high school after his father died in 1963. He harvested his first crop in 1964 and has been farming ever since.)

Kremeier said the well hasn’t been in production for several years (Corporation Commission documents indicate the well was taken out of production on Dec. 31, 2009) and while the pump jack and tank battery have been moved from the property, the rods remain in the well.

Veekner Resources, the well’s operator, came to the site and began steps to stop the leak and remove the affected soil after being notified of the problem, Matt Skinner, public information manager for the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, told the Times and Free Press Thursday.

Skinner said Veekner received notice it has until July 15 to remediate all effects of the leak.

The corporation commission also notified applicable environmental agencies about the situation.

In addition to the notice to remediate, the well owner is required to put the well back into production or plug it by the same July 15 deadline, Skinner said.