link to story
Arlington City Council to Consider Mixed-Use Development Near Globe Life Park Using Gas Drilling Funds is one of two projects per The Arlington Voice.
I have a problem with risking/loaning half the drilling revenue funds ($50 million). “MY” Arlington Water Protection PLan is stating that drilling monies be used to buy back those drill site on the Ft Worth side of Lake Arlington that threaten our drinking water supplies.
I took pictures on Dec 3 of flooded entrances to two drill sites at Wilbarger and Quail road…we need drones out there this weekend seeing if those padsite sites go under. Last weekend the padsite near Village Creek Waste Water Plant went under with Trinity flooding….
pic by Mary Kelleher
Next month these Quicksilver sites go up for auction and we need to permanently shut them in to protect our drinking water sources or we don’t have a town if we don’t have water….or we have a town full of sick people who can’t prove what poisoned them …remember we drank the pharmaceuticals? Remember we had a spill into Lake Arlington from a Quicksilver padsite in July of 2010…we drank that too.
On 12/5/15 in Burleson Joe Gildersleeve, Arlington TX water resource services manager, presented at the Lake Arlington-Village Creek Water Protection Plan* kick off meeting. His slide listed gas drilling as one of the threats to Lake Arlington….
Video link
He also mentioned the 2011 Lake Arlington Master Plan**.
Stakeholders such as TCEQ/NCTCOG/City of Ft Worth, & Burleson also gave presentations or support for the Trinity River Authority who will test monthly for one year starting in May of 2016 at these locations….
to characterize the water for main constituents of concern such as E.coli, Nitrates & Chlorophyll….
The Arlington BarnettShaleHellblogger attended and asked if they would gear the testing to discerning if drilling effluents are risking water quality…was told the NORM was too expensive to test for (read here when Arlington turned down an offer to help coordinate Duke University who offered to test our NORM in our Barnett Shale produced water), but after the meeting was told that maybe arsenic could be added to the screening panel…..
Here is the video of Angela Kilpatrick, Senior Environmental Scientist of the Trinity River Authority addressing my question if what they test for will help pin point if drilling is affecting the study areas….her initial answer was the TSS (Total Suspended Solids) as an indicator or produced water spills.
End coverage of TRA meeting.
—————————-
**Begin interesting tidbits of 2011 Lake Arlington Master Plan with the most important one on pg 511 “Under this scenario, an average a gas well site point source is estimated to contribute 7,100 lbs of TSS annually to the receiving waters in the watershed“.
Page 437 shows the water test results.
2011 Lake Arlington Master Plan flows
Lake Arlington Master Plan pg 21: “A significant portion of the drinking water that the citizens of Arlington receive from the Water Utilities Department ultimately comes from springs, stormwater runoff and tributaries within the Village Creek watershed that drains into Lake Arlington.”
pg 40 “4.2.4 Gas Well Development Over the years there has been public concern about the safety, potential pollution and visual impacts of natural gas drilling operations that are located near Lake Arlington. During the Lake Arlington Master Plan process, representatives from the gas well development companies participated in discussions regarding runoff/pollution control measures and aesthetic practices. As part of the process the planning team provided recommendations for aesthetic practices to be incorporated in permits given to drillers. These areas include screening, vegetation and plantings and restoration once a site has been abandoned. In addition, the planning team developed recommendations for lakeside trail routings through properties owned by the drilling companies. These recommendations were provided by the City to the drilling companies. The Master Plan also includes BMPs for water quality protection to specifically address gas well drilling operations”.
pg 51.”An emergency spillway is used to release water during flood events when the elevation of the lake rises above the outlet structure and the inflow exceeds the capacity of the discharge conduit. The uncontrolled emergency spillway is a cut in the right (or east) end of the embankment. It has a length of 882 feet and a crest elevation of 559.7 feet above msl, which is 9.7 feet above the lip of the drop inlet structure. The drainage area of Lake Arlington is 143 square miles in size. According to an April 1999 Memorandum Report Investigation of Lake Arlington Operation Policies prepared for the Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD), the average inflow into the reservoir from the watershed is approximately 30,000 acre-feet per year, however, the 1978 inflow was only 2,720 acre-feet. The average annual evaporation from the reservoir is 3.09 feet. The 1999 Memorandum Report states that the calculated firm yield of Lake Arlington is approximately 6,000 acre-feet per year (ac-ft/yr)”.
Here is the ELEVATIONS chart…on pg 57
Now see where the tan squares are in the picture below…
So the city or some citizen hero should deploy a drone after our rains this weekend and see if the drill sites are communicating with our drinking water source… drilling padsite run off requires more disinfectants added at the water treatment plant and that means higher “legal” byproduct trihalomethane poisoning too.
FEB 2016 update…on water protection masterplanning and my concern for appropraite frack related runoff testing….
From: “Kuitu, Michael J” <mkuitu@tamu.edu>
To: kim feil <kimfeil@sbcglobal.net>
Sent: Thursday, February 18, 2016 10:53 AM
Subject: RE: Q on TX watershed steward program
Kim,
In regards to your question, there are multiple parties that have a role in determining the appropriate analytical tests to perform for various water bodies (surface water, drinking water, groundwater, etc.). If a Watershed Protection Plan is being created, one or more of several entities will have likely be sampling surface water. The entities that sample surface water commonly include river authorities, volunteers, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), and more. The following link will direct you to the information showing what entity samples the surface water for each individual river, etc.: https://cms.lcra.org/ (once you select a specific water body, you will likely see that the Sampling entity column (labled at the top as SE) only provides a two letter code. The easiest way to know what each two letters mean/determine the full name of the sampling entity is to use the list found at this link:http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/assets/public/compliance/monops/water/wdma/dmrg/dmrg_ch4.pdf
In regards to urban runoff, the TCEQ manages urban non-point source pollution. In Texas’ water and land, the TCEQ also manages spills and releases of industrial chemicals that can result in an exceedance of a Protective Concentration Level (PCL) for a specified chemical. Depending upon what chemical is spilt, certain chemicals will be tested for in soil, water, and/or groundwater. For example, if gasoline is spilt into soil and groundwater, arsenic in addition to the other gasoline-related chemicals might be sampled for simply due to chemical reactions/chemical characteristics that can occur during the assimilation/breaking down of the spilt gasoline.
In regards to reassurances, the fact that multiple entities (cities, TCEQ, volunteers, etc.) sample both surface water and groundwater, and analyze those waters for volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds (such compounds include gasoline, chlorinated solvents, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and more), metals, bacteria, nutrients, dissolved oxygen, pH, and more. If a regulatory exceedance of a chemical or certain parameter is found it is to be reported and generally tested again. Multiple universities and government agencies have, and continue to study the environment (air, soil, surface water, and groundwater) surrounding hydraulic fracturing sites. One such study can be found here: http://www.epa.gov/hfstudy while other information from the USGS can be found here: http://water.usgs.gov/owq/topics/hydraulic-fracturing/
In regards to TTHM or Total Trihalomethanes, they normally result from organic matter reacting with chlorine in a drinking water system. If an exceedance of TTHM was reported for the Arlington, TX area, the city of Arlington and/or the TCEQ Public Drinking Water section (http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/drinkingwater/pdw_contact.html) might have an estimated reason for that if it was not from a natural cause. This is because they city will be sampling their water for a variety of compounds and chemicals, and if a regulatory exceedance of TTHM is reported, they might have information as to the assumed origin of the organic matter (i.e., natural or potentially otherwise) that reacted (as is natural) with the chlorine to form the TTHM.
Regards,
Michael
Michael Kuitu
Extension Program Specialist
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
2474 TAMU
College Station, TX 77843-2474
Office: 979-862-4457
Fax: 979-845-0604
From: kim feil [mailto:kimfeil@sbcglobal.net]
Sent: Wednesday, February 17, 2016 11:08 AM
To: Kuitu, Michael J <mkuitu@tamu.edu>
Subject: Q on TX watershed steward program
Please direct me to those who decide which water tests to take for a watershed protection program. My interest is in the run off and spills risk and acid rain from all the industrial processes especially all the urban drilling. I was told testing for NORM is cost prohibitive.
That the state doesn’t test for chemicals on FracFocus Chemical Disclosure Registry is troubling to start with. What reassurances can we have that certain tests are focused to uncover what harm the industry has had so far in all this drilling frenzy? So far I have found a correlation? of TTHM’s going up in Arlington TX’s drinking water by a factor of 2.6 (starting in 2007-about when we started Urban Drilling). Likewise I have seen Ft Worth’s TTHM’s drop since urban drilling has slowed down in recent years. Please advise.
=========================================================================
* The Village Creek Lake Arlington Water Protection Plan includes testing the water in different locations and I’ve been trying to see WHAT we should be testing for now that drilling has taken hold in a big way in our watersheds….
From: kim feil <kimfeil@sbcglobal.net>
To: Jane Lynn
Sent: Saturday, August 6, 2016 12:05 PM
Subject: Fw: the city $$ part in the Village Creek-Lake Arlington Water Protection PLan screening
From: kim feil <kimfeil@sbcglobal.net>
To: “joe.gildersleeve@arlingtontx.gov” <joe.gildersleeve@arlingtontx.gov>
Cc: Trey Yelverton <trey.yelverton@arlingtontx.gov>; Buzz Pishkur <buzz.pishkur@arlingtontx.gov>; Charlie Parker <charlie.parker@arlingtontx.gov>; Lana Wolff <lana.wolff@arlingtontx.gov>; Robert Rivera <robert.rivera@arlingtontx.gov>; Jim Parajon <jim.parajon@arlingtontx.gov>; Michael Glaspie <michael.glaspie@arlingtontx.gov>; Kathryn Wilemon <kathryn.wilemon@arlingtontx.gov>; Sheri Capehart <sheri.capehart@arlingtontx.gov>; Robert Shepard <robert.shepard@arlingtontx.gov>; Jeff Williams <jeff.williams@arlingtontx.gov>; Cynthia Simmons <cynthia.simmons@arlingtontx.gov>; John Dugan <john.dugan@arlingtontx.gov>; “revans@nctcog.org” <revans@nctcog.org>
Sent: Saturday, August 6, 2016 12:04 PM
Subject: the city $$ part in the Village Creek-Lake Arlington Water Protection PLan screening
From: kim feil <kimfeil@sbcglobal.net>
To: Aaron Hoff <hoffa@trinityra.org>; Angela Kilpatrick <kilpatricka@trinityra.org>; “tmdl@tceq.texas.gov” <tmdl@tceq.texas.gov>
Cc: Kevin A. Schug <kschug@uta.edu>; Zacariah Hildenbrand <zac@informenv.com>; “Revans@nctcog.org” <Revans@nctcog.org>; Ph.D. Avner Vengosh <vengosh@duke.edu>
Sent: Saturday, August 6, 2016 10:26 AM
Subject: Q on what to screen for to get at the heart of O&G spillage viligence
From: Zacariah Hildenbrand <zac@informenv.com>
To: kim feil <kimfeil@sbcglobal.net>
Cc: Kevin A. Schug <kschug@uta.edu>
Sent: Saturday, August 6, 2016 8:21 AM
Subject: Re: Fw: Q on what to screen for to get a heart of O&G spillage
Good Morning Kim,
Zacariah Hildenbrand, Ph.D.
Inform Environmental, LLC
C: 915-694-7132
On Fri, Aug 5, 2016 at 8:54 PM, kim feil <kimfeil@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
Please note Dr Vengosh’s remarks and assist on what we should be screenin for.
From: kim feil <kimfeil@sbcglobal.net>
To: Aaron Hoff <hoffa@trinityra.org>; Angela Kilpatrick <kilpatricka@trinityra.org>
Sent: Friday, August 5, 2016 10:46 PM
Subject: Q on what to screen for to get a heart of O&G spillage
—– Forwarded Message —–
From: “Avner Vengosh, Ph.D.” <vengosh@duke.edu>
To: kim feil <kimfeil@sbcglobal.net>
Sent: Thursday, August 4, 2016 9:51 PM
Subject: Re: Q on what to screen for to get a heart of O&G spillage
Hi Kim,
Professor of Geochemistry and Water Quality,
Division of Earth and Ocean Sciences
Nicholas School of the Environment
205 Old Chemistry Building; Box 90227
Duke University
Durham, NC 27708Phones: office (919) 681-8050; Lab: (919) 681-0638; Fax (919) 684-5833
E-mail: vengosh@duke.edu
Duke web site: http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/people/faculty/vengosh.html
Group web site: http://sites.nicholas.duke.edu/avnervengosh/
Dr Vengosh, please assist with these questions or forward to any students that can help, thanks.In addition to the water well testing mentioned below, the TRA is assisting TCEQ who has been given money from the EPA for watershed protection planning.Is testing for TDS, bacteria, and nitrates good enough to detect BTEX, and frack chemicals?I was told TDS was good for detecting oil & gas activity…and if the numbers are high that then more specialized testing could then be performed.As for radionuclides I was already told that testing was too expensive.I’m not sure about frack chemical testing?And then there is the mud farming effluents and any firefighting chemicals so we want to be sure that our two year testing includes looking for these threats.
======================================
From: Zacariah Hildenbrand <zac@informenv.com>
To: kim feil <kimfeil@sbcglobal.net>
Cc: Kevin A. Schug <kschug@uta.edu>
Sent: Thursday, August 4, 2016 1:12 PM
Subject: Re: Fw: Water Well Owner Workshop – Get your well water tested for $10
Hello Kim,
Thank you for forwarding this message on to us. A couple of things stick out to us: 1) TDS (total dissolved solids) is a useful parameter to track in the potential influx of brine solutions, however 2) TOC (total organic carbon) is a much better metric of tracking potential VOC contamination. For example, an elevated TOC value can be indicative of exogenous chemicals being present (ie. BTEX, alcohols. or chlorinated compounds) and is a good sentinel analysis prior to performing a full VOC screening.
Our lab specializes in TOC measurements and we would be happy to process samples with this analysis if there is some grant money to support these efforts. If you know of an avenue for us to provide our services please let us know
Thank you for your time and consideration,
ZLH
Zacariah Hildenbrand, Ph.D.
Inform Environmental, LLC
C: 915-694-7132
From: Dania Grundma <dania.grundmann@tceq.texas.gov>
To: “kimfeil@sbcglobal.net” <kimfeil@sbcglobal.net>
Cc: Faith Hambleton <Faith.Hambleton@tceq.texas.gov>
Sent: Monday, August 8, 2016 10:13 AM
Subject: RE: Q on what to screen for to get at the heart of O&G spillage viligence
Ms. Feil,
Thank you for your interest in the Village Creek – Lake Arlington WPP. The information you have provided has been provided to Faith Hambleton, the TCEQ grant manager for this project.
Best Regards,
Dania Grundmann
TMDL Program
—————————–end———
From: Buzz Pishkur <Buzz.Pishkur@arlingtontx.gov>
To: ‘kim feil’ <kimfeil@sbcglobal.net>; Joe Gildersleeve <Joe.Gildersleeve@arlingtontx.gov>
Cc: Trey Yelverton <Trey.Yelverton@arlingtontx.gov>; Charlie Parker <Charlie.Parker@arlingtontx.gov>; Lana Wolff <Lana.Wolff@arlingtontx.gov>; Robert Rivera <Robert.Rivera@arlingtontx.gov>; Jim Parajon <Jim.Parajon@arlingtontx.gov>; Michael Glaspie <Michael.Glaspie@arlingtontx.gov>; Kathryn Wilemon <Kathryn.Wilemon@arlingtontx.gov>; Sheri Capehart <Sheri.Capehart@arlingtontx.gov>; Robert Shepard <Robert.Shepard@arlingtontx.gov>; Jeff Williams <Jeff.Williams@arlingtontx.gov>; Cynthia Simmons <Cynthia.Simmons@arlingtontx.gov>; John Dugan <John.Dugan@arlingtontx.gov>; “revans@nctcog.org” <revans@nctcog.org>; Traci L. Peterson <Traci.Peterson@arlingtontx.gov>; Joe Gildersleeve <Joe.Gildersleeve@arlingtontx.gov>; Craig Cummings <Craig.Cummings@arlingtontx.gov>
Sent: Tuesday, August 9, 2016 3:20 PM
Subject: RE: the city $$ part in the Village Creek-Lake Arlington Water Protection PLan screening
Kim: The Watershed protection plan (WPP) process started due to Village Creek being designated as an impaired body of water because of specific contaminants being “present” in the stream flow. The constituent in this case is total coliform. The City of Arlington is but a participant with several other Cities and government agencies in the development of the WPP which is now well underway. We must have an approved WPP in place to be eligible for USEPA grants (section 319 funds) to help fund future mitigation efforts. The plan developed and approved is expected to identify sources of coliform in the watershed, such as septic systems, feedlot operations, public owned wastewater treatment plant discharges and other such potential contributors to the total coliform count in the stream. The process we are participating in is well established nationwide and we do not plan to deviate from the scope established at the outset. To the best of my knowledge there is no known basis in science or fact to suggest that fracking operations have ever contributed positively or negatively to the water quality of Lake Arlington and thus to redirect the study groups time or resources to that end does not seem to appropriate at this time. Remember we are but one entity in the watershed-wide collaboration to improve the quality of Village Creek and Lake Arlington. We are very cognizant of Lake’s water quality and how it could potentially impact recreation and drinking water of our residents. To that end we routinely test the water from the Lake as part of quality control process.
From: kim feil [mailto:kimfeil@sbcglobal.net]
Sent: Saturday, August 06, 2016 12:04 PM
To: Joe Gildersleeve
Cc: Trey Yelverton; Buzz Pishkur; Charlie Parker; Lana Wolff; Robert Rivera; Jim Parajon; Michael Glaspie; Kathryn Wilemon; Sheri Capehart; Robert Shepard; Jeff Williams; Cynthia Simmons; John Dugan; revans@nctcog.org
Subject: the city $$ part in the Village Creek-Lake Arlington Water Protection PLan screening
Mr Gildersleeve since you are representing the city/their financing part in the Village Creek-Lake Arlington Water Protection Plan (sorry you could not make that last meeting)…some of the steering committee members had some concerns of not having the representation of experts who did NOT have ties to the oil & gas industry. I am determined we ensure that we look for the right frack related effluents.
Please tell me how you can assist? One way that I can think of is if the TRA does not design/budget those screenings for TOC, radionuclides, chloride, bromide, etc… that the city(s) itself PAY UTAclear or Duke University to do it.
Thanks
Kim Feil
