Arlington officials report on fracking fluid blowout

ARLINGTON — Two months ago, 100 homes in Arlington had to be evacuated as fracking fluid spilled out of a drilling site onto the city streets.

A series of video recordings obtained by News 8 shows the scene behind the walls of a fracking site 600 feet from a cluster of homes in the state's seventh largest city. In the incident, 42,800 gallons of fracking fluid — boiling up from thousands of feet underground — spewed into the streets and into Arlington storm sewers and streams.

Arlington officials report on fracking fluid blowout

It has been two months since this has occurred but very little media coverage. I wonder how these local Texas residents feel about fracking now, since they have to live with the aftermath? Not that the locals have any say, Texas made it illegal for local governments to ban fracking.

The Texas government, along with Vantage Energy and Boots and Coots Well Control (part of Halliburton) is calling it a "well incident," but doesn't absolve the fact that 43,000 gallons of fracking fluid boiled up from thousands of feet underground. As long as the jackals get their money, they don't care who has to live with aftermath.

BTW this isn't unique to Arlington, there have been several fracking well blowouts causing incidents of ground water contamination;

Chevron PA fracking blowout


North Dakota fracking blowout


Kinder Louisiana fracking blowout


Converse Louisiana fracking blowout

a reply to: Blackmarketeer

I'm sensing that the Oil profiteers have a disregard for humans and biological life in general.

They prefer the residue of decomposed organisms.

Don't let them write the environmental policy.

a reply to: Blackmarketeer

I'm not for or against fracking, so this is a neutral question: What are the consequences of this type of incident upon, lives, and property?

a reply to: Blackmarketeer

They might consider not drilling, fracking, etc. that close to populated areas. LOL.

The old day equivalent might be 'gushers'. Plenty of good sites out in rural areas. leave the cities alone...

Hmmm. They had fluid made from the same stuff that's in laundry detergent, toothpaste and laxatives, mixed with water in their drains. So, you wash your clothes, down the drain it goes and it's ok. You brush your teeth and it's ok. You put a laxative in your body and it's ok. But,,, well, you're smart, you get the idea.

a reply to: Blackmarketeer

Damn. What a mess.
That's a clear sign that corporations are in charge, making it illegal to ban something that they do.

I lived in Arlington for about three years and one of my kids lives there now. Even having lived there ( about 17 years ago ) this is a total shock to me. I had no clue they were fracking beneath my feet - and I'm the sort that pays attention to local news quite heavily.

originally posted by: SonofaSkunk
Hmmm. They had fluid made from the same stuff that's in laundry detergent, toothpaste and laxatives, mixed with water in their drains. So, you wash your clothes, down the drain it goes and it's ok. You brush your teeth and it's ok. You put a laxative in your body and it's ok. But,,, well, you're smart, you get the idea.

Municipal water treatment plants can handle most chemicals and byproducts, but when fracking fluids get into it then you have a real problem. Very small quantities of fracking chemicals can contaminate millions of gallons of water. Blowouts like the ones above can cause these chemicals to get into your drinking water, and thanks to lax industry oversight it rarely is even acknowledged, let alone prevented or remedied.

What Chemicals Are Used
(fracfocus.org)

Hydraulic Fracturing 101
(earthworksaction.org)

Very small quantities of some fracking chemicals are capable of contaminating millions of gallons of water. According to the Environmental Working Group, petroleum-based products known as petroleum distillates such as kerosene (also known as hydrotreated light distillates, mineral spirits, and a petroleum distillate blends) are likely to contain benzene, a known human carcinogen that is toxic in water at levels greater than five parts per billion (or 0.005 parts per million).

Other chemicals, such as 1,2-Dichloroethane are volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Volatile organic constituents have been shown to be present in fracturing fluid flowback wastes at levels that exceed drinking water standards. For example, testing of flowback samples from Texas have revealed concentrations of 1,2-Dichloroethane at 1,580 ppb, which is more than 316 times EPA’s Maximum Contaminant Level for 1,2-Dichloroethane in drinking water.

Why do you think the Texas Elite are so vehement to keep fracking out of their neighborhoods?

a little over 5 years ago when the gulf oil spill happened, I saw some press release about a company who was developing a technology to clean up fracking water (Ecosphere Technologies). I bought a couple hundred shares at $1.25 each after reading all these reports of fracking wells popping up and the environmental hazards that they have on the environment. One news report said that they were going help with the clean up of the oil spill and I was all in joy thinking I was going to invest in a company who has a solution to all this fracking oil industry. Boy was I wrong!!!!

a reply to: Alchemst7

So sad, it's easier to payoff politicians than to fix an actual problem.

originally posted by: SonofaSkunk
Hmmm. They had fluid made from the same stuff that's in laundry detergent, toothpaste and laxatives, mixed with water in their drains. So, you wash your clothes, down the drain it goes and it's ok. You brush your teeth and it's ok. You put a laxative in your body and it's ok. But,,, well, you're smart, you get the idea.

The Romans brushed their teeth and washed their clothes with urine so its not that bad, right?

Fracking is another part of a multi-front push to poison humans out of existence.
If we actually cared about one another we would use safe renewable energy, but we don't.

Since fracking fluids are a company secret, these incidents would be the perfect opportunity to have it analyzed. It would be costly, but if there are any anti-fracking organizations that have the money, it should help their cause to find out exactly what is being pumped into the ground, or, as in this case, gets spewed all over the ground and into the drain sewers.

originally posted by: MichiganSwampBuck
Since fracking fluids are a company secret, these incidents would be the perfect opportunity to have it analyzed. It would be costly, but if there are any anti-fracking organizations that have the money, it should help their cause to find out exactly what is being pumped into the ground, or, as in this case, gets spewed all over the ground and into the drain sewers.

The mix of chemicals used in one well will be different then used in another well due to changes in rock type to be fracked.
They take cutting as the well is drilled and use them to test the right amount of the right chemicals to use on that well.

Hydrochloric Acid can be one of the safest and at the same time one of the most dangerous.
Small amounts of Hydrochloric Acid are found in drinking water from chlorination.
But Hydrochloric Acid can release toxic chemicals like arsenic and other toxins from the rock

originally posted by: hefficide

I lived in Arlington for about three years and one of my kids lives there now. Even having lived there ( about 17 years ago ) this is a total shock to me. I had no clue they were fracking beneath my feet - and I'm the sort that pays attention to local news quite heavily.

I wouldn't put too much trust in the media, best you spend more time on ATS for up to date info.

This is shocking, after this and the other fracking stories, its beyond me how people can still defend this procedure. But I guess money talks.

Meh, the US would still be in a depression if we didn't frack. I don't like it, but until an alternative is discovered (or let public) this is what's in our future. At some point the fracking will make no sense, but the tech is evolving to extend the practice for some time yet. Hopefully it's abandoned as a feasible option within a decade or so.

a reply to: pl3bscheese

There is an alternative to hydraulic fracking. Using gas when drilling through the shale that gets recaptured at well. A Canadian Company is doing it as tests in the the US, and a Norwegian company has been using Carbon Dioxide for a while with success (so FAR)

I just want to say that I actually live in this area. And by area, I mean within 3 miles. The situation was not actually that big of a deal to be 100% honest. There does not seem to be any long term damage or any damage at all really. Not saying its ok, just saying I live here and it turned out to be nothing.

originally posted by: Aliensun
a reply to: Blackmarketeer

I'm not for or against fracking, so this is a neutral question: What are the consequences of this type of incident upon, lives, and property?

The known exact consequences are unknown but the fact that majestic mountains that have naturally formed over millions of years are being blasted away says a lot. Maybe the landslides will not start immediately, or even within a few years, but we cannot rule it out completely. That is just one example of what could happen. The little bit of oil we get from fracking is not worth the possible consequences, not to mention destroying out mountains.

a reply to: Blackmarketeer

Hop in your:



Go:

Turn on your:

Don't forget your heat:


Then go outside and do your yardwork:

And:

Finish up with:

Then go and ride your:

Or hit the lake:

When you get home, wash that gas guzzling car and your boat:


All the while thinking....FRACKING is BAD!! Those bastards are trying to kill us all....They suck....Bla bla bla....While YOU, yes YOU, are the culprit to why this process is needed.....

Look in the mirror next time you complain about fracking!!! Stop pointing fingers at people who provide a service for YOU who use the gas, oil and other gas that comes from the ground with everything you own!!