Homeowners sue over gasoline pipeline spill

JACKSON (AP) - Homeowners sued Monday over a massive gasoline spill in southeastern Wisconsin this summer that has contaminated many of their wells, their attorneys said.

A total of 150 families who own property in the Jackson area filed the lawsuit in Washington County Circuit Court against the pipeline owner and operator, the attorneys said. The homeowners allege they suffered economic and emotional damage.

A section of 10-inch pipe in West Shore's Milwaukee-to-Green Bay line ruptured July 17 in Jackson, spilling an estimated 54,600 gallons of gasoline in a few minutes.

Many of the homeowners have been unable to use water from their wells, which have tested positive for cancer-causing benzene, the attorneys said. The homeowners are asking for compensation for their losses, including the establishment of a medical monitoring fund for early cancer screening. The homeowners also are seeking punitive damages.

Messages left for the pipeline owner, West Shore Pipe Line Co. of Illinois, and operator, Buckeye Partners L.P. of Houston, were not immediately returned Monday.

Other families still plan to join the lawsuit, said attorney Daniel Rottier, president of Habush Habush & Rottier S.C. of Milwaukee, which is representing the homeowners along with the law offices of Peter G. Angelos of Baltimore, Md.

The 98-mile pipeline provides fuel for northeastern Wisconsin and parts of Michigan. The line has since reopened.