AN ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER is developing before our eyes, and no one is looking or caring. Louisiana has laws regulating the pumping of waste water from gas fracturing operations back into the substructure of Louisiana. Texas has no such laws. Therefore, the contaminated waste waters from thousands of Louisiana deep gas wells is being pumped into the soil of East Texas counties, especially Shelby County. This process has gone on for over two years, and last week, a 3.7 earthquake occurred in Shelby County, near the town of Timpson.
HERE'S THE STORY -- There is a bridge located at the point where the Sabine River becomes Toledo Bend Lake. The bridge connects the Louisiana town of Logansport in DeSoto Parish with the Texas town of Joaquin, located in Shelby County, Texas. Each day huge tanker trucks transport hundreds to thousands of gallons of waste water from Louisiana deep gas wells into Texas, and pump that water into Shelby County soil. Because the cost of transport is high, the pumping stations are located as close to the border as possible. Some of the largest pumping stations are located within a half mile of the Sabine River/Toledo Bend Reservoir, which provides water for thousands of people all the way to the Gulf.
I have been told, that in addition to the tanker trucks transporting the waste water that new pipelines are moving even greater quantities of water across the river into East Texas. These operations are far less obvious to observers than the tanker truck pumping stations. Exact data on how many thousands of gallons are pumped daily, or as to the millions of gallons dumped over the past two years is not available to the public.
WAKE-UP CALL -- The 3.7 earthquake in Shelby County last week is the first wake-up call for the pending environmental disaster. The Mount Enterprise fault line runs through Shelby and adjoining counties. Waste water injected along this fault line can alter pressures and lead to movements of the opposing plates. It remains unclear whether the water used in individual gas wells is sufficient to cause earthquakes, butv most experts agree that the key variable is the absolute quantity of water being pumped into the geological substructure. In NO OTHER AREA have such huge quantities of waste water from hundreds of wells been pumped into a limited geographical substructure. Shelby County is A MINI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY into how much waste water can be absorbed in a given geological sub-structure before a major disaster occurs. Someday, we may read in text books about what is learned from this potentially disastrous experiment. But that will be, as they say, too little and too late.
WHY IS TEXAS ALLOWING THIS POTENTIAL DANGER TO ITS CITIZENS? -- If LOUISIANA recognizes the dangers of allowing this water to be pumped into its geological substructure, there must be a reason. Louisiana must recognize the dangers, including the danger of contaminating ground water or creating earthquake conditions. WHY IS TEXAS IGNORING THESE WARNINGS, AND ALLOWING CONTAMINATION BY LOUISIANA'S WASTE? The only answer I see is MONEY. Shelby County is one of the poorest counties in the state of Texas, and there are enormous economic benefits flowing to the county from the energy companies who are dumping their waste there. However, the fallout from this dumping, goes far beyond the boundaries of Shelby County.
TOLEDO BEND RESERVOIR provides water for thousands of citizens of Louisiana and Texas. A pipeline to take water from Toledo Bend to the city of Houston is projected. There are indications that hazardous chemicals from waste fracturing water have already contaminated this critical water supply. NO TESTING OF THE SABINE OR TOLEDO BEND WATER FOR FRACTURING CHEMICALS is currently being publically reported. Indeed, chemicals used in fracturing are considered "trade secrets" by the drilling companies. Texas is currently attempting to legally require drilling companies to reveal the chemicals they are using. Without this information, we don't even know for certain what chemicals may be contaminating our water supply.
DOES ANYONE CARE? WILL ANYONE INVESTIGATE? PLEASE HELP!!!!
Thank you for sharing this. I most certainly care! While I no longer live in Joaquin/Logansport area, my ENTIRE family does. I'm very worried for them and the community.
ReplyDeleteWhile I do not recall the earthquake activity in 1967 and again in 1981, I have heard the story about the quake in the fault line under the Sabine River that actually changed the course of the river slightly. I believe that quake happened around the turn of the century - late 1800's early 1900's. And please, the water that goes into the drilled well is the fracturing water. Gas wells always produce a certain amount of salt water that comes out with the gas, along with oil, distillate, and other condensate. I agree, every precaution needs to be taken to prevent contamination of the water supply. But please, ck the facts before you blame gas drilling for earthquakes!
ReplyDeleteI am not blaming gas drilling for earth quakes and I am not talking about the water pumped into a well, the concern here is for millions of gallons of recovered waste water from hundreds of wells in Louisiana. That water is being shipped from Louisiana and pumped into Shelby County within a half mile of Toledo Bend lake, the Sabine River.
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