If you own a rural property, whether it is a family farm or just a plot of land that you like to use as a country home that gives you an escape from your daily grind in the city, you want to keep the integrity of that property as intact as possible. However, there are some things that may be out of your control. These issues may include soil or water contamination due to the business operations of an oil or chemical company in the immediate vicinity. For example, if an oil pipeline has a spill and it gets into the river or groundwater that feeds into your land, you may wonder what you can and should do to deal with the situation. Get to know some of the steps that you can take to resolve such an occurrence on your land.

Keep Copies or Recordings of Any Correspondence You Have with the Company

Oftentimes, a company that has had a major spill, either chemical or oil, in the area near your land may reach out to communicate with you. Or on the other hand, you may contact them to try to get the damage to your property taken care of by the company. Regardless of the party that initiates the correspondence, keep detailed records and copies of all communication.

This documentation should be dated as potential evidence in any case you bring against the company. While you may hope that you will be able to resolve the situation amicably, it is always good to be on the safe side just in case.

Contact an Environment Law Attorney

Whether or not your discussions with the company go well or even occur at all, it would be a good idea to contact an environmental law attorney to consult with on the situation. Environmental lawyers can help you to determine a way to build and pursue a case against the company that caused damage to your land.

More than likely if the spill or issue was large enough to cause water, soil, or other issues on your land, other property owners were also affected by the issue as well. An environmental law attorney can investigate and find out who was affected by the issue and if any other parties are interested in pursuing the case as well. The more parties that are involved, the better your chances of getting a win or a settlement from the case.

The environmental law attorney will also be able to collect all of the necessary evidence of damage to your property that you may need to present in court and will know how to file your case and get it on the docket. All of this will help to ensure that you are properly compensated for the environmental damage to your property.

With these tips in mind, you can begin the process of dealing with your rural land being contaminated by a chemical or oil company.

For more information about your rights, contact a service such as Moore Smith Buxton & Turcke-Chartered.