Water is seeping up through cracks in the pavement of the Fish Creek Neighborhood in Arlington, Texas. Local residents have concerns that this may be linked to gas drilling and fracking in the area. One homeowner stated that in her 13 years of living here, this is the first time she has witnessed such a thing.
The Water Department is still investigating but has determined that the seeping water is not municipal water, but groundwater from an underground spring. The lab is testing the water samples. Rumor has it they are testing for salt, because fracking fluids contain salt, according to a dispatcher with the Arlington Water Department. Since these containers are on a nearby unsecured gas pipeline installation work site, we hope the lab is looking for these chemicals too:
brown goop??
Lana Wolff, Arlington City Councilwoman, came by our neighborhood Saturday morning to witness this strange phenomenon. We are sincerely grateful for her concern ~ considering that she doesn't, technically, represent our district. Robert Rivera does.
In addition to all the drilling and the fracking, we wonder if the massive gas pipeline construction project currently underway near our homes may be causing the groundwater to seek new pathways. Like BIG GAS, water seeks the path of least resistance. Fortunate people find their new path by moving the heck off the Barnett Shale. Wish we could...Perhaps someday...
Meanwhile, the
City of Grand Prairie, Texas received a lump sum of $587,620 from DFW
Midstream to lay UNodorized gas gathering pipelines through the
community. Here's a taste of what this looks like:
Click Here to read these details on the Westchester Gasette.
Amen.
If you use these pictures, attribution is appreciated. :-)
This is freaking nightmare! Thank you for looking out for us.
ReplyDeleteYour welcome. We can only hope that these small signs will turn the tide of public opinion and policy makers' minds before we experience very serious catastrophic events such as sinkholes, earthquakes, explosions, or water contamination.
DeleteFracking never should have been allowed in the suburbs. People live in these communities because they desire a quiet place to unwind and call home after a busy day's work. Now some People on the Shale have to work 24/7 to fight for their family's safety and future.
The path of least resistance is what makes both rivers and politicians crooked... I appreciate the concern Councilwoman Lana Wolff shows. But it makes me wonder if Mayor Cluck and Councilman Rivera think our groundwater is "above the fray" or "not ready for prime time?"
ReplyDeleteSo, Drilling Surfantant causes foaming. Hmmh.... See above description on the chemical!
ReplyDeleteThere was a lot of foam present in Fish Creek where the fish, including catfish and even the snails were dead.
"The lab is testing the water samples. Rumor has it they are testing for salt, because fracking fluids contain salt, according to a dispatcher with the Arlington Water Department.” I hope the water dept employees can get a little education on urban drilling 101. Produced water has brine (salty/high chlorides), the flowback water has fracturing chemicals and hydrocarbons plus brine, and drilling fluids have their own nasties....be prepared to know which chemicals to test for at every stage of “spilling” or migration/displcement/subsidence......
ReplyDeleteOne thing you can count on, if this is traced back to the fracking industry they will never be held financially responsible. Throughout history, taxpayers have been responsible for cleaning up their messes.
ReplyDeleteThe photo of the "moat" is from the side of my house. Here is my story...I hope this helps!
ReplyDeleteI had my house built, I believe, in 1999. During building, we noticed water was constantly puddled in front of our lot. Another neighbor told us about a water problem at the house next to us and that they had to have a pump put in. When I asked the people who lived next door to me, at that time, about it, they said that water was seeping up through their foundation. Their builder put the pump in. I think we all assumed that it was coming from the empty field behind us.
My builder said I'd never have that problem because my property was
raised up higher and graded properly. He was right...until about 3
weeks ago. I have a little dog who loves to chase my neighbors up and down the fence line as they mow their yards. I noticed that she was coming in full of mud. I went looking to see where the mud was coming from. That's when I realized my back yard had turned into a marsh.
I drove around to the street behind me (Roselle) to see if I could
figure out where it was coming from. When I couldn't figure it out, I emailed the city of Arlington. Mr. James Conner came out and called me while I was at work. He had someone else come back to help him find the cause and they were totally stumped. Then, they heard the pump start up. They went to my neighbor and he told them about the underground stream. I asked why it was just now a problem and he couldn't answer that. His suggestion was for me to get a pump too, or do a French drain. I had a feeling that a pump would be way too expensive, so asked for bids on the French drain. The only bid I received was for more than $3,000. I'm a one income home-owner, working in public schools, so that wasn't an option. Fortunately, my sons said they could do it for me. Even so, it's been about $1,000, including a little money I paid my boys. We aren't quite finished yet, but it's already way better than it was.
I hope everyone will be patient with me on cleaning up the yard and
replacing my gate (the back-hoe sunk at one point and we had to tear the gate down to get it out). I have a bad knee, so I depend on my boys for the heavy work. They both work during the week, so they'll be finishing up this Saturday.
As the water receded from my back patio, I noticed a white "ring" where the water had stopped. In a moment of not thinking, I tasted it...salty!
Salty? Have they tested that water?? Or has the ocean come to Arlington? Maybe that's it.
ReplyDeleteThe City flip-flopped. Now they claim the problem is due to issues with the municipal water system, and water utility men were ALL over the neighborhood yesterday (Tuesday) fixing things from meter boxes to vales under Sublett Road. They were busy little beavers.
ReplyDeleteBut wait a minute ~ we were told that they were certain it was ground water ~ very certain. Even Lana Wolff was present on Saturday morning during that discussion. We are concerned that our lab is unable to differentiate between groundwater and city water. If this simple distinction cannot be discerned, how can we trust the accuracy of the rest of our water screening?
Look at this e-mail dated Monday, November 19th from our City Manager, Trey Yelverton. Again, they claim it is NOT municipal water.
----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Trey Yelverton
To: xxxxxx
Cc: Charlie Parker ; Jimmy Bennett ; Kathryn Wilemon ; Lana Wolff ; Michael Glaspie ; Robert Shepard ; Robert Cluck ; Robert Rivera ; Sheri Capehart
Sent: Mon, November 19, 2012 11:13:55 PM
Subject: Re: Update: Liquids bubbling up through asphalt on my cul-de-sac
Ms. xxxxxx,
Below is a current summary of the activities that have occurred over this weekend to bring you up to date:
· Water Utilities took two samples last week. The test results did not come back with conclusive evidence it was treated water from the distribution system. Included in these tests were Chlorine residual which were measured at 0 mg/L.
· Water Utilities Director visited Roselle Ct on Friday and spoke with a home owner.
· Water Utilities took more samples Saturday to measure for additional parameters such as Fluoride level. In order to follow proper methodology, testing results were not completed until today? The additional tests show Fluoride levels above the levels we feed into the treated water. This is further indication the water is not from the City's water distribution system.
· On Sunday, Community Development and Planning staff conducted an inspection of the nearby gas drilling site. It should be noted that no violations or activity was occurring on the drill site. In fact the water meter was turned in to Water Utilities in June 2012, reflecting no activity at the site occurring since June.
· All indicators we have tested for so far are significantly different enough from our drinking water parameters to indicate it is not treated water from the distribution system. There is also no indication from the tests to suggest it is from fracking operations.
But then there's a statement there in the 4th paragraph with a question mark:
ReplyDelete[...]
In order to follow proper methodology, testing results were not completed until today?
[...]
So, were they? Or weren't they? Will they? Or won't they? Could they? Or should they? Maybe it's the Ghost of Christmas Past preparing for another round?? Once you've been fracked, there's no going back??