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TOP STORY:
An Oklahoma family says oil is polluting their home. The state says its hands are tied
By Chloe Bennett-Steele, StateImpact Oklahoma
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The dark fluid began seeping into the Merediths' home in August. (PHOTO by Mitch Meredith)
A fluid leak has created a months-long dispute between a family and regulators over how the state is responding to what the family says is an oil-based substance seeping into their home.
Kara and Mitch Meredith saved for years to purchase a custom home in Kara’s hometown of Fort Gibson, about 56 miles southeast of Tulsa. The white farmhouse-style house was built in 2021, and the family moved in shortly after.
In August 2025, five weeks after their third child was born and two days after a nearby minor earthquake, a blackish-gray substance began seeping up into their primary bathroom.
The fluid appeared to resemble oil, and the family worried about the possibility of an abandoned well causing the leak. To avoid the pollution, the Merediths moved out of their home and have been living elsewhere for seven months.
The family contacted the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, the state agency responsible for abandoned oil and gas wells. Commission records show the liquid, which it refers to as water, was flowing at about two gallons per minute on Aug. 27.
The Oklahoma Rundown 📰
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A hand-curated list of the best journalism from across the state:
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• Jenks student places second in C-SPAN contest for documentary on food insecurity under Trump (Oklahoma Voice)
• Tylen Riley leads Tulsa to the NIT title game (Tulsa World)*
• Markwayne Mullin ends DHS contract approval rule (The Oklahoman)*
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