Fracking pollution at Mansfield Performing Arts Center TX

Mansfield TX around Oct 2013

TCEQ responded to my complaint I called in on November 23 2013. Their investigation #1145082 of the Woodland Estates West 12,14 & 16 H drill site also has four other investigative  reports…1133201, 1134156, 1123979,& 1123976 of which if you click here you can see that a month earlier in October, 2013 that TCEQ caught the driller, Eagle Ridge, in a violation for not using an emission control device (thermal oxidizer). Click here for a picture/report showing how massive those emissions were.

TCEQ came out on Oct 16, 2013 and recorded emissions coming from this drill site that is dangerously close to the MISD Performing Art Center ….here is the video using a FLIR infrared camera to show the invisible hydrocarbons.

I was upset to learn that toxic flowback was sitting in those frack tanks the day my son was at the performing arts center all day and all night “and” they/we were all downwind…!

Mr. Delaughter (consultant for the driller, Eagleridge) stated that the temp differential caused the pond to appear to be releasing steam and stated “...180 to 200 degree water in the frac tanks resulted in the water tanks appearing to release steam”.

The TCEQ suma canister air test #01165 of a 30 min downwind sample TAKEN  on 11/26/2013 THREE DAYS AFTER I CALLED IN THE COMPLAINT yielded only 31 ppbv of Ethane and .29 bbpv Benzene (background levels).

One week after my complaint CBSDFW covered a story at this same drill site where suds were flying into the nearby neighborhood…..Click here to see a pic of this foam event .

This unnatural proximity of  the two high impact industrial gas mining and compression facilities dangerously close to the MISD Mansfield Performing Arts Center cannot be ignored and I have contacted AISD and MISD to complain.

This video I made was sent to the Mansfield  Environmental Manager who responded that the suds on the north parking lot area “appear to be natural”*.

I took some pictures that cold morning of 11/23/13 when I dropped my son off in harms way. The fog was an eire sight and reminded me of the white fogs that waft off of the OPEN HATCH flowback tanks during flowback. A TCEQ rep once told me that they have to have open hatch VENTs on these tanks because those fluids are under pressure and can explode.  So OPEN HATCH tanks do all the indirect venting instead of open pit frack ponds…think of them as mini frack pits/tanks exposed to the airshed…but legally.

Windmap showing winds out of the north the morning I dropped my son off to spend over 10 hours on 11/23/13 at the MISD Performing Arts Center.

Below is a pic of what is probably electric compressor stations. They do not use diesel but they can have emission events during planned maintenance and also for unplanned blowdowns like if they loose electrical power. Electric compressor stations are at risk for rolling blackouts and should be on a dedicated grid and should have back up diesel engines so they don’t go off line.

Obviously these are those “urban style ELECTRIC lift compressor stations” that they say have zero emissions (LIES). When they go into shut down mode, whatever is left in the network of piping at that time (that is not directed to the storage tanks where they indirectly vent “there” from the thief hatches)….is raw gases being released unabated into our airshed.

Eagle Ridge work over rig in the back drop where nitro lift is taking place.

“natural?” bubbles in the parking lot

The red balloon is where the MISD Performing Arts Center is located.

Notice north of the triangular pond – the two buildings that must be lift compressor stations that are housed to cut down on the noise.

MISD north drive way

Fog is said to be from meterological conditions I am told by the RRC rep.

Lower elevation (natural?) pond…unlined

Red open hatch flow back tanks which are the industry standard that originated from rural drilling….these should be considered obsolete and not appropriate for urban drilling. There are urban flowback tanks that should be mandated that are closed hatch and pressurized – therefore ventless. There are also flowback tanks that flare too-see pic below.

Front of building facing south-see the flags show winds coming from the north and blowing south…that means the padsite effulents are blowing to the MISD folks.

Flowback tank..they need to at least employ the pricey, ventless, pressurized flowback tanks to attempt to be protective of public health if the ordinance brags so much about being protective of public health.

The RRC investigator came out and said that once the temperature warmed up that the steaming from the ponds stopped….thank goodness. The RRC guy did say that Eagle Ridge was doing a workover using nitrogen to stimulate the well….so what toxic effulents (NORM & BTEX?) was brought to the surface and kept on steaming and venting from the OPEN HATCH flowback tanks even after the fresh water frack ponds stopped steaming?

We may never know.

Click here to view what may be coming off the storage tanks that is invisible to the naked eye.

*— Forwarded Message —–
From: Howard Redfearn <howard.redfearn@mansfield-tx.gov>
To: kim feil <kimfeil@sbcglobal.net>
Sent: Tuesday, November 26, 2013 8:48 AM
Subject: Re: video of suds n parking lot at MISD Performing Arts Center

Ms. Feil,

It is hard to state for certain after the fact, but the small suds presented in this video appear to be natural. As water concentrates in flow, it will sometimes form small bubbles or suds. This may or may not be due to any pollutants that would have been present on the concrete.I did check the water present in both of the detention ponds on the school site and there was no sign of a petrochemical spill, or similar type of pollution. The water that had ponded at both locations presented no odor and to the touch was no different than I would expect natural waters to be. Additionally, along the debris line of where the water had stopped while it was raining, there was no evidence of a slick of deposition that would have been present had there been a petrochemical discharge.

There is a portion of the south pad site that does drain toward the school’s drive aisle, but that pad is not currently under production, and I saw no containers stored in the area draining toward the school that could have held any chemicals.Please let me know if you have any concerns in the future. Thank you,

—————————————-

HERE IS THE LETTER NOTIFYING AISD AND MISD OF MY COMPLAINT OF THE STUDENTS AND STAFF BEING PUT IN HARMS WAY BY DRILLING AND COMPRESSION NEAR SCHOOL FACILITIES….

—– Forwarded Message —–
From: kim feil <kimfeil@sbcglobal.net>
To: “mcavazos@aisd.net” <mcavazos@aisd.net>
Sent: Monday, February 10, 2014 12:45 AM
Subject: Fw: AISD student/staff abuse report #366 new video to add regarding MISD

 Mr Cavazos, please respond to this matter of a complaint going one year without being resolved or addressed, thank you.

Kim Feil

—– Forwarded Message —–
From: kim feil <kimfeil@sbcglobal.net>
To: cindy powell <cpowell@aisd.net>; “tedward2@aisd.net” <tedward2@aisd.net>; “mcavazos@aisd.net” <mcavazos@aisd.net>; Jay Doegey <Jay.Doegey@arlingtontx.gov>; “trey.yelverton@arlingtontx.gov” <trey.yelverton@arlingtontx.gov>; “peterbaronaisd@tx.rr.com” <peterbaronaisd@tx.rr.com>; “bowie@bowiehogg.com” <bowie@bowiehogg.com>; “areich.aisd@tx.rr.com” <areich.aisd@tx.rr.com>; “sullins.jamie@yahoo.com” <sullins.jamie@yahoo.com>; “GloriaPena.AISD@yahoo.com” <GloriaPena.AISD@yahoo.com>; “hibbsaisd@gmail.com” <hibbsaisd@gmail.com>; “tony.pompa@gen-assembly.com” <tony.pompa@gen-assembly.com>
Cc: Jay Doegey <Jay.Doegey@arlingtontx.gov>; “don.jakeway@arlingtontx.gov” <don.jakeway@arlingtontx.gov>; “don.crowson@arlingtontx.gov” <don.crowson@arlingtontx.gov>; “info@misdmail.org” <info@misdmail.org>; “JerryCantu@misdmail.org” <JerryCantu@misdmail.org>; “AbigailCloud@misdmail.org” <AbigailCloud@misdmail.org>; “RichieEscovedo@misdmail.org” <RichieEscovedo@misdmail.org>; “LizWright@misdmail.org” <LizWright@misdmail.org>; “TerryMorawski@misdmail.org” <TerryMorawski@misdmail.org>
Sent: Monday, February 10, 2014 12:43 AM
Subject: AISD student/staff abuse report #366 new video to add regarding MISD

It has been over a year with no follow up on this AISD complaint (#366).  Last November my son and some area schools participated in an All Region choir performance that lasted all day with a performance in the evening. I blogged about the close proximity that drilling and compression activities are to the MISD Performing Arts Center and took some erie pictures. I also video taped some bubbles in the parking lot. The following week NBCDFW did a story on bubbles flying into the neighborhood from this drill site.

I complained to the TCEQ and to the RRC because I was concerned the students were downwind to flow back toxins from the OPEN HATCH storage tanks blowing towards them. The RRC confirmed there was effulents coming off the flowback tanks that they like to call “steam” but is really hydrocarbons and can contain NORM, BTEX, heavy metals, and any chemical treatments introduced into the well.

A month earlier when they were flowing back the well, they were caught in a violation in not using Best Available emission control technology.

Please view this infrared video taken by TCEQ …. http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=UU_gCB3oHq5ixAaTcJFDsXmA&v=i1dJ-jX2aM4 of the Woodland Estates West site near the MISD facility.

This video is EVIDENCE that emissions are occurring dangerously close to this state of the art MISD facility that AISD students attended that day/evening.

 

Please let me know if I need to file a new complaint with AISD, or if this new development can be added to the existing complaint #366 that I am demanding follow up on.

 

For the MISD personnel copied on this email, please consider this email to be my formal complaint. Please have someone contact me to verify this letter is entered into public record or if I have to fill out a form, thank you.

Kim Feil

https://barnettshalehell.wordpress.com/TEX LG. CODE ANN. A§ 253.005 : Texas Statutes – Section 253.005: LEASE OF OIL, GAS, OR MINERAL LAND
“(c) A well may not be drilled in the thickly settled part of the municipality..”

Texas Administrative Code, Title 30, Part 1, Chapter 101, Subchapter A,
Rule 101.4, Environmental Quality, Nuisance

No person shall discharge from any source whatsoever one or more
air contaminants or combinations thereof, in such concentration and
of such duration as are or may tend to be injurious to or to adversely
affect human health or welfare, animal life, vegetation, or property, or
as to interfere with the normal use and enjoyment of animal life, vegetation,
or property.

—– Forwarded Message —–
From: Jerry Lobdill <lobdillj@att.net>
To: jnarvaez@nctcog.org
Sent: Sunday, February 9, 2014 7:05 PM
Subject: [BarnettShale_GassedNGastly] Reducing Ozone pollution

As a physicist and chemical engineer (retired) who lives within 1200
ft of a gas drilling pad, and as a technical expert in oil and gas
drilling and production technology, I am appalled that the industry
has gotten away with technology that releases methane and other
naturally produced volatile compounds into the atmosphere and is
permitted to claim successfully that more protection is not needed.The state of the art includes ways to make these systems closed cycle
operations with no deliberate emissons. Public health safeguards
against these emissions are an imperative.

Public health and, indeed, the survival of life on this planet depend
on hard-nosed resistance to industry deception in this matter.

Demand closed cycle operation.

Jerry J.Lobdill