Kellen Allison Cattle Company is suing the city of Shamrock, TX, after 650 head of their cattle died, allegedly from drinking contaminated city water from a line that crossed a former carbon black plant.
Court documents show that in June, the grow yard faced a sudden water shortage from their wells and connected to a municipal water line that ran through a neighboring property. Upon drinking the water, cattle almost immediately began showing signs of illness, including vomiting, moving in a “zombie-like” manner and suffocating against fences. Cattle were moved away to non-municipal water, but nearly 650 head of cattle died in the span of two months, a death loss of 40%.
The yard conducted tests of the city water from a spigot, which showed toxic levels of sulfate exceeding 1,000 parts per million. In addition to cattle deaths, the yard said the water destroyed surviving cattle’s rumens and rendered them unable to consume solid grain, leading to further depreciation in value. A joint proposed scheduling order due date was set for Dec. 18.
