JACKSON - A family in Clark is dealing with benzene in their drinking water after an energy company's testing revealed the contaminant at levels seven times the federal maximum threshold levels.

Windsor Energy LLC discovered the benzene and notified the state Department of Environmental Quality. The company has been drilling for natural gas in the area. In August 2006, a well being drilled in the Line Creek drainage blew out, causing soil and groundwater contamination.

The "plume" of contamination apparently reached a water well located on private property adjacent to the blowout site. It was the first report of contamination reaching drinking water in the small Park County community, where the blowout and its aftermath have been a major source of controversy.

Kathy Brown, project manager for DEQ, said the benzene levels were 35 parts per billion, and the federal maximum contaminant level is 5 parts per billion.

Company representatives took additional samples Tuesday from the home.

Connie King, whose family lives in the home, said she is feeling fine and has not noticed a difference in the water.

She said everyone has been responsive to the contamination issue and is doing everything to "make it right."

"I feel really fortunate that these are the people we're dealing with," she said, meaning DEQ and Windsor. The Kings have been using bottled water and intend to stay in the home.

King said the family is not nervous, but of course hopes for the best outcome. She said Windsor has shown it wants that, too.

Deb Thomas, a resident of the area and member of the Clark Resource Council, called the news of the contamination "very sad."

"We'd hoped this would be contained before it got off the site," she said. "That being said, I'm certainly not surprised."

Thomas said experts hired by her group said extended contamination was a "greater possibility than not."

There are 25 homes within a one-mile radius of the blowout site - double that within a two-mile radius.

Brown said Windsor will put a carbon filtration system on the Kings' drinking water, and may install pumping wells between the blowout site and private wells so the plume does not move toward private wells. Then the company and DEQ will examine cleanup options for the contamination.

Benzene dissolves only slightly in water and is a carcinogenic. It causes harmful effects on the bone marrow and can cause a decrease in red blood cells, leading to anemia. It can also cause excessive bleeding and can affect the immune system, increasing the chance for infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Consumption of benzene can cause vomiting, dizziness, sleepiness, convulsions, rapid heart rate or death at high levels.

A representative of Windsor Energy did not return calls for comment Wednesday.

The company has been conducting quarterly sampling of private wells in the area along with DEQ. It will have to sample more frequently now, according to the agency.

Windsor's drilling project had drawn opposition from some nearby residents even before the blowout. The response of the state and the company to the incident also have received harsh criticism.

The Clark Resource Council recently sent a letter to the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission urging it to not allow drilling of any more wells in the area until the blowout contamination situation is cleaned up. The commission approved two new wells in August.

"The Commission approved these wells, in spite of serious contamination of aquifers and springs in the Line Creek drainage due to Windsor's previous drilling activities and in total disregard of (a) request … for a moratorium on Windsor's drilling along Line Creek," the group said in a Sept. 17 letter to OGCC Supervisor Don Likwartz. "The OGCC has ignored our request for a drilling moratorium that would have allowed time for the contaminant plume(s) to be identified, quantified and remediation accomplished."

Likwartz was out of the office Wednesday and not available for comment.

Thomas said the cleanup has "not been handled in a timely fashion."

"This company has had serious notices of violation," she said.

Thomas said the state continues to permit energy drilling "as fast as they can," even though accidents are happening and the state doesn't have the resources or expertise to deal with the impacts.

A public meeting at the Clark Pioneer Recreation Center is planned for 7 p.m. Tuesday. DEQ and Windsor will be available to provide information on the investigation and mitigation activities to date.

Environmental reporter Whitney Royster can be reached at (307) 734-0260 or at royster@tribcsp.com.