A Howell County rancher has filed a lawsuit against Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad, claiming that the company failed to provide adequate drainage and fencing around its railway, as required by law, leading to the his loss of several head of cattle. Randy Hoover and Sons LLC filed the suit. Hoover owns land near the intersection of highway ZZ and county road 8890 that borders the railroad and he says 350 head of cattle grazed the land until the flooding in April of 2017. He says the railroad dammed up the flood waters causing damage to his fencing and even drowning some of his cattle. He also says that massive quantities of gravel that surround the railway were washed onto his property, killing grass and posing a risk to the remaining cattle. According to reports, BNSF has until September 23rd to answer the allegations.