Tweet
Interesting and a little scary if they are doing NG drilling in your area. I bolded several lines that I think are important.
Natural gas from drilling that used the controversial practice of hydraulic fracturing has contaminated a drinking-water aquifer in Parker County, putting two homes at risk of explosion and triggering a federal emergency order, the EPA said Tuesday.
The Environmental Protection Agency ordered Fort-Worth based Range Production Co. to take steps to protect the families and water supplies after the Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates natural-gas drilling, failed to act, EPA Regional Administrator Al Armendariz said.
Railroad Commission officials "acknowledge that there is natural gas in the drinking-water wells," Armendariz said. "They want more data and believe that action now is premature. I believe I've got two people whose houses could explode. So we've got to move."
The Railroad Commission issued a news release late Tuesday saying it was still checking but had not concluded that Range's wells were responsible.
"EPA's actions are premature as the Railroad Commission continues to actively investigate this issue and has not yet determined the cause of the gas," commission Chairman Victor G. Carrillo said. "This EPA action is unprecedented in Texas, and commissioners will consider all options as we move forward."
Range Production did not respond to phone calls and e-mails seeking comment.
The EPA issued an imminent and substantial endangerment order under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act after tests confirmed methane, benzene and other constituents of natural gas in private drinking-water wells that serve two homes in southern Parker County.
Range Production drilled horizontal gas wells into Parker County, near the two homes, from drilling pads located nearby in Hood County, Railroad Commission records show. The gas wells, water wells and homes are south of Weatherford, just east of the Brazos River and just north of the Hood County line.
According to EPA documents, the homeowners began noticing problems with their water within months of the startup of gas production last year. Tests confirmed gas in the water, and chemical fingerprinting pointed to Range as the source, the EPA said.
The gas wells were drilled using hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in which millions of gallons of water mixed with chemicals is injected deep underground under high pressure. The pressure fractures the tight shale formation and releases trapped natural gas.
In the past five years, fracking has turned North Texas' Barnett Shale field into the nation's biggest natural-gas producer, with tens of thousands of wells drilled.
Critics say the practice endangers water supplies, citing examples from around the country of tap water that can be set on fire. One of the Parker County homeowners gave the EPA a video in which his garden hose became a flamethrower, Armendariz said.
In response to such complaints, Congress ordered the EPA to conduct a national study of fracking and water quality.
Industry officials and Texas regulators say fracking is safe because the chemically treated water is injected far below any usable drinking water – in this instance, the Trinity Aquifer. They say the gas in widely distributed flaming-water videos was not caused by fracking.
The Parker County cases could reverberate at Dallas City Hall. Opponents of fracking are pressing the City Council to delay permit decisions for proposed wells in Dallas until the city can study the practice's safety.
Armendariz said the EPA is not alleging that fracking caused the Parker County contamination, only that Range's gas wound up in the drinking water somehow.
Required casing and cement that line the gas wells might have failed, letting gas escape into the aquifer, he said. It's also possible that drilling struck a geological fault or an old gas well, he said.
The extent of contamination isn't known. Range must identify the affected area under the EPA order.
"We know they've polluted the aquifer," Armendariz said. "We know they're getting natural gas in there. We don't know yet how far it's spread."
The EPA has notified water suppliers and is urging the public to report any problems.
The EPA instructed Range, among the nation's largest gas-producing companies, to indicate within 24 hours whether it intends to comply with the order and to provide potable water to the two families within 48 hours.
Both families were still in their homes but had been advised by the EPA not to use the water, Armendariz said. One family has already begun trucking in its own water, he said.
One of the two affected homeowners declined to comment Tuesday. The other did not return phone calls.
Range also must install meters in the homes to check for explosion risks.
"Natural gas could be building up in the homes if they use the plumbing, if they open up the faucet, if they use the shower," Armendariz said. "There's a danger of fire or explosion."
Range also must survey the local aquifer and identify any other private wells that might be contaminated. Within 14 days, the company must submit a plan for checking the homes' interior air and surrounding soil for natural gas.
Range has 60 days to tell the EPA how it will trace gas pathways through the ground, shut off those pathways and clean up the aquifer.
Armendariz said the homeowners first reported the problems to the Railroad Commission but turned to the EPA when they weren't satisfied with the state's response.
The Environmental Protection Agency ordered Fort-Worth based Range Production Co. to take steps to protect the families and water supplies after the Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates natural-gas drilling, failed to act, EPA Regional Administrator Al Armendariz said.
Railroad Commission officials "acknowledge that there is natural gas in the drinking-water wells," Armendariz said. "They want more data and believe that action now is premature. I believe I've got two people whose houses could explode. So we've got to move."
The Railroad Commission issued a news release late Tuesday saying it was still checking but had not concluded that Range's wells were responsible.
"EPA's actions are premature as the Railroad Commission continues to actively investigate this issue and has not yet determined the cause of the gas," commission Chairman Victor G. Carrillo said. "This EPA action is unprecedented in Texas, and commissioners will consider all options as we move forward."
Range Production did not respond to phone calls and e-mails seeking comment.
The EPA issued an imminent and substantial endangerment order under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act after tests confirmed methane, benzene and other constituents of natural gas in private drinking-water wells that serve two homes in southern Parker County.
Range Production drilled horizontal gas wells into Parker County, near the two homes, from drilling pads located nearby in Hood County, Railroad Commission records show. The gas wells, water wells and homes are south of Weatherford, just east of the Brazos River and just north of the Hood County line.
According to EPA documents, the homeowners began noticing problems with their water within months of the startup of gas production last year. Tests confirmed gas in the water, and chemical fingerprinting pointed to Range as the source, the EPA said.
The gas wells were drilled using hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in which millions of gallons of water mixed with chemicals is injected deep underground under high pressure. The pressure fractures the tight shale formation and releases trapped natural gas.
In the past five years, fracking has turned North Texas' Barnett Shale field into the nation's biggest natural-gas producer, with tens of thousands of wells drilled.
Critics say the practice endangers water supplies, citing examples from around the country of tap water that can be set on fire. One of the Parker County homeowners gave the EPA a video in which his garden hose became a flamethrower, Armendariz said.
In response to such complaints, Congress ordered the EPA to conduct a national study of fracking and water quality.
Industry officials and Texas regulators say fracking is safe because the chemically treated water is injected far below any usable drinking water – in this instance, the Trinity Aquifer. They say the gas in widely distributed flaming-water videos was not caused by fracking.
The Parker County cases could reverberate at Dallas City Hall. Opponents of fracking are pressing the City Council to delay permit decisions for proposed wells in Dallas until the city can study the practice's safety.
Armendariz said the EPA is not alleging that fracking caused the Parker County contamination, only that Range's gas wound up in the drinking water somehow.
Required casing and cement that line the gas wells might have failed, letting gas escape into the aquifer, he said. It's also possible that drilling struck a geological fault or an old gas well, he said.
The extent of contamination isn't known. Range must identify the affected area under the EPA order.
"We know they've polluted the aquifer," Armendariz said. "We know they're getting natural gas in there. We don't know yet how far it's spread."
The EPA has notified water suppliers and is urging the public to report any problems.
The EPA instructed Range, among the nation's largest gas-producing companies, to indicate within 24 hours whether it intends to comply with the order and to provide potable water to the two families within 48 hours.
Both families were still in their homes but had been advised by the EPA not to use the water, Armendariz said. One family has already begun trucking in its own water, he said.
One of the two affected homeowners declined to comment Tuesday. The other did not return phone calls.
Range also must install meters in the homes to check for explosion risks.
"Natural gas could be building up in the homes if they use the plumbing, if they open up the faucet, if they use the shower," Armendariz said. "There's a danger of fire or explosion."
Range also must survey the local aquifer and identify any other private wells that might be contaminated. Within 14 days, the company must submit a plan for checking the homes' interior air and surrounding soil for natural gas.
Range has 60 days to tell the EPA how it will trace gas pathways through the ground, shut off those pathways and clean up the aquifer.
Armendariz said the homeowners first reported the problems to the Railroad Commission but turned to the EPA when they weren't satisfied with the state's response.
Comment