Are Frac Ponds a Public Health Threat?

Chesapeake Energy Frac Pond located at the Fulson Drill Site 
Southeast Arlington, TX
Photograph taken by Fish Creek Monitor on 7-26-2016

Vector Disease Control International conducted round two of targeted ground spraying throughout Fish Creek neighborhood this week.  They applied the first round of a synthetic permethrin insecticidal product manufactured by Bayer the week of July 5th, but on July 22nd another mosquito tested positive for West Nile virus.

Looks like they missed the target.

A single bite from one of these tiny winged insects can produce devastating disease.  Because we noticed such a proliferation of mosquitoes since the installation of the frac pond in our community ~ and since mosquitoes have the ability to travel anywhere from 300 feet to 100 miles depending on the breed ~ we asked the City if they require gas operators to implement any sort of mosquito control program for their frac ponds.

We learned that the City of Arlington does require gas operators to treat their frac ponds with mosquito dunks, but verification of compliance is questionable at best.  There is really no way to confirm whether or not the mosquito pellets [sic] that Chesapeake applies to their pond are working to keep the mosquito population at bay. 

According to a Gas Well Specialist with the City of Arlington, this is how compliance works:  

"We (the City) go by their (Chesapeake's) word. They've been pretty honest about the things they do."

 So, how do we know if the pellets are actually working to prevent mosquitoes from breeding in these ponds?  We don't.  The City does not place mosquito traps on gas operators' private property.

Since it is possible that frac ponds might be contributing to mosquito-borne illness, why not require operators to fill them in with dirt?  Chesapeake hasn't drilled any new wells at the Fulson Site since 2012, so there is no need for a pond at this time.  This would be a legitimate request by citizens to ask of their council representatives. Why take the chance of even one person contracting the West Nile or Zika virus?  In the early days of mineral lease signing, landmen pitched the idea that frac ponds would be amenities to the community.  Now people know better.

 Ban the frac ponds.

Doing away with frac ponds in city limits could actually be a win-win for everyone.  It was done at Chesapeake's Rocking Horse Drill Site back in 2012.   Gas operators would still be able to access water for fracking through the installation of above-ground frac tanks/pools which can be easily taken down after completion of a gas well.  XTO, in fact, uses them on a regular basis. Ridding the city of these stagnant man-made reservoirs which waste acreage would not only free up land for future development, but would eliminate a potential breeding habitat for mosquitoes.  

In 2015 fossil fuel advocates influenced the Texas Legislature to pass HB40.  This bill essentially strips away local control from municipalities to regulate fracking with some exceptions such as truck traffic, noise, and setbacks to some degree as long as these restrictions are "commercially reasonable" for the operator.  However, this bill does not specifically address frac ponds.  Since operators could still gain access to an alternative water source, it would seem reasonable that Arlington, a home rule city, could be a role model for other nearby communities by shoring up its ordinance to address this potential public health threat of mosquito-borne illness.  

Our State's overreach of HB40 may have banned fracking bans, but it doesn't specifically prohibit the banning of  frac ponds. Because of the number of cases of  mosquito-borne illnesses in North Texas, this may be a subject worth thinking about.  

In case you missed Chesapeake's Big Boy, click here to meet him.
 

The Public Forum

What DO you do after the fracking fallout?  

After your community has been transformed from the suburbs into a heavy industrial mining zone due to predatory landmen scamming uninformed neighbors into signing mineral leases... 

After the State passes legislation (HB40) that strips away municipal control to regulate and protect the health and safety of its citizens because Oil and Gas must continue to make big profits...

After the water and air shed has been contaminated because that's just what industrialization does to the environment...

After your home gets damaged from earthquakes because injection AND extraction does cause induced seismicity...

And after your City tells you ~ that as a citizen ~ you are NOT allowed to speak at a gas drilling PUBLIC MEETING to address your concerns...

You Stage a Protest: 

Photo attribution: Codepink Dallas

Photo Attribution:  Fish Creek Monitor and Westchester Gasette

 The room was fairly empty until the protesters filed in and filled some chairs.

It was clear that the citizens had more knowledge than the panelists.  They asked thoughtful, educated questions which the regulatory bodies could not answer. 

In case you hit the snooze button on the alarm clock and missed this early morning meeting ~ which most folks did ~ it is recorded for your leisurely viewing and analysis.  They should have cleared away the empty chairs in the center of the room to make space for a big dance floor because there was a lot of tap dancing going on.   

It was unfortunate that the Arlington City Council members left early because they missed a very important detail about a new Railroad Commission rule, but more about that later...

Every Vote Counts

How many ways can we suppress the vote?  Arlington, TX City Councilman, Robert Rivera, will host his third gas drilling town hall to be held on Election Day despite objections from citizens.  There are concerns that a meeting held on this day could pull focus away from the election process and have a negative impact on the vote.  Every vote counts, so we can't afford to lose a single one.

In April, citizens suspected voter suppression when we learned that the well-established early polling location at the South Service Center would no longer be utilized.  The new location at Saint Joseph's Catholic Church ~ chosen by two City staffers ~ would be even further away from our community.   Many spoke out at City Hall on April 14th.  Council claimed that they didn't know anything about this change, even though this maneuver had been in the works for months.  Scroll 56:00 minutes into the meeting to hear Councilman Rivera's explanation about why it's too late to reinstate our early voting location for this year's municipal election.  He says, "It's already out of our control... There's simply nothing else we can do." 

This explanation did not sit well with Marvin Sutton, who is running against Rivera, District 3 incumbent.  Marvin, along with community groups, pushed to get our early voting location reinstated for this municipal election.  Click here to view the 7-minute long special meeting of its reinstatement.  

Even State Representative Chris Turner (HD101) ~ who typically doesn't meddle in city affairs ~ intervened.  Click here to read the letter he sent to Mayor Cluck.

We spoke with supporters from various campaigns throughout the week, and they all report that they have had no trouble with parking ~ one of the reasons given for the need to close that location. 

Now, since nothing of substance was accomplished during the first two gas drilling meetings other than citizens venting their frustrations over fracking inside the community, we see no reason to waste taxpayer resources on another fruitless meeting where Mr. Rivera might potentially scoop up some last minute votes for himself, and we are pulled away from working our campaign.  It interferes with the political process. 

The previous two town halls did nothing to improve living conditions for the neighbors living near the Sue Barnett Site.   XTO's operations are still an ongoing nuisance.  They reluctantly agreed to wrap the rig floor with a sound blanket, but it is still noisy. Sometimes we can hear that rig from a mile away!  It sounds like an older model in need of a tune up and a brake job.

Furthermore, it is pointless to hold another meeting to discuss gas drilling when it is more likely than not that Texas municipalities will soon lose local control over the regulation of oil & gas.  On April 30th, the Texas State Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Economic Development swiftly voted to pass HB40 with a unanimous vote of 9-0.   Click here for the link to watch this committee hearing, which is just under an hour long.  

Although the State will allow cities to regulate surface activities such as lights, truck traffic, and noise, these regulations must be "commercially reasonable," which is ambiguous language that the committee refused to eliminate from the bill.  In essence, we really won't be able to do much to protect safety or quality of life if HB40 becomes law because this is heavy industrial mining happening inside the neighborhoods in very close proximity to our homes.

NO ONE from our city attended the hearing in Austin ~ not even our lobbyists from HillCo.   When we inquired with Jennifer Weichman, Director of Management Resources for the City of Arlington,  as to the reason why no one attended such an important committee hearing on behalf of our City, she stated, "Our goal was not to change the bill...We think the way it's working is working fine...We monitored it... We put our resources where we can."

It is curious that our City chose to NOT spend resources in Austin on April 30th to defend democracy, property rights, and health and safety of its residents, yet they choose to allocate City resources for staff overtime to hold yet another pointless gas drilling meeting for Robert Rivera just hours before the polls close on Election Day. 

Early voting continues through May 5, 2015.  
For hours and locations, click Here.

Election Day is Saturday, May 9, 2015.

Click here for information on how candidates stand on local issues. 

The Fish Creek Monitor endorses Marvin Sutton for District 3 Arlington City Council.

Did Arlington Neighbors Know?

Lake Arlington Gas Drill Site, 3016 Little Road, Arlington, TX

Yesterday over a dozen families were forced to evacuate their homes when workers lost control of a gas well during hydraulic fracturing operations at the Lake Arlington Baptist Church drill site.   Vantage Energy operates this problematic site.  

Residents previously filed numerous complaints with the City of Arlington, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and the Railroad Commission of Texas.  They smelled chemical odors and heard explosions.  We listened to many stories from frustrated neighbors who, at the time, felt the authorities and the industry were not taking their concerns seriously.  First they were told there was a gas leak.  Then they were told there was no leak.  Then they were told there was a cracked casing.  Then they were told there was no cracked casing.  

It was a fracking run-a-round. 

So much for transparency.  

 
We wanted to find out what was going on, so we filed an open records request with the City.  Since our first attempt at obtaining information was rather broad in scope and was going to cost $272.50, we narrowed our search.   On March 11, 2015 we obtained a half dozen documents.  Here is a screen shot of one e-mail where Jason Eberle of Vantage Energy informs Collin Gregory, the City's Gas Well Coordinator, about a well control issue.

This begs the question ~ was this problematic well in January the same well that caused mandatory evacuations yesterday?   

When we visited the site and spoke with the Vantage Energy guard in November, she assured us that drilling is safe.

So far the Fire Department, Vantage Energy and Boots and Coots, a well control company have been unsuccessful at attempts to kill the well and fix the problem.  Toxic fracking fluid continues to bubble and spew out of the well, and nearby residents are still displaced from their homes.  

Questions Mount after gas well leak, evacuations.

Don't Frack Our Future - Doreen's Story

This video contains the real facts about unconventional shale gas drilling ~ unlike the industry propaganda that comes across your television screen at prime time. With nearly 60 gas drill sites in our City's 99 square miles, the City of Arlington, Texas is already doomed. Since this blog receives traffic worldwide, we want to share this message with you in hopes that we might spare you the pain and suffering we have had to endure as a result of living through the transformation of our once residential communities into dangerous industrial mining zones. We hope you enjoy the simplicity of this message, and we pray this doesn't happen to you. But if it does ~ know you are not alone in the battle.

The History of Fracking in Residential Neighborhoods in Arlington, Texas

Back in '08 the landmen said, "You'll never know we're here...We'll be miles away..." 

Here's what it looks like today: 

Click Here

And so, the history of fracking in residential neighborhoods in Arlington, Texas began on October 23, 2007 with this unanimous vote:

Hmmm...only 8 total votes.  Shouldn't there be nine?  
Let's check the attendance.

It was a lovely dance, but we wonder if Mayor Cluck sat this one out because it was a tad controversial?

Tremor Hotline

Arlington, Texas residents feel tremors.  (click here.)

Fortunately, our gas well coordinator has this covered.  If you live in Arlington and feel the earth move, please contact Collin Gregory, Gas Well Coordinator, with the City of Arlington, Texas.  Mr. Gregory will track these tremors and look for patterns.  Then he will either hire an outside firm or rent equipment to determine the cause of this seismicity.  Please include the date, time, and what you felt:

Collin Gregory, Gas Well Coordinator
817-459-6593
Collin.Gregory@Arlingtontx.gov

State Farm insurance also has you covered.  In light of all the fracking earthquakes, they are urging residents to purchase earthquake insurance.  

Fuel Fix writes,   

"Earthquakes in the Tarrant and Johnson counties of Texas have become more common during the past four years.

According to the earthquake database, those counties have seen roughly 30 earthquakes in the past four years, but before 2008, the area didn’t see a single earthquake."

Click here for the full article, North Texas Rocked by 11 Earthquakes in 40 Days.

For more in-depth information, read Seismicity in the Oil Field.

Thank you, Collin for tracking these earth movements.   The Fish Creek Monitor dedicates this song to you: