One thing we havent talked about very much is the risk associated with a blow out. These do happen. According to the Railroad Commission there were 13 blowouts or other well control problems in Texas between Jan. and August of 2014. Two of the reports mention evacuations. One last May, discussed in this article from The Victoria Advocate resulted in loss of surface casing integrity caused uncontrolled pressure in the cellar and release of a mix of crude oil and natural gas and produced water. While the RR Commission only mentions one family being evacuated, the article in the Victoria Advocate indicates that employees and nearby neighbors were evacuated. What does nearby mean? Well thats is rural Texas, 5 miles south of Westhoff. When I look at the map, theres almost nothing but well pads for miles around. Maybe a house or two within 2000 feet. So that makes me wonder, how many homes would need to be evacuated if there were a similar accident inside the College Station city limits? How many schools would need to shut down? Is the city prepared for such an event? If we are going to permit what is essentially a potentially dangerous industrial activity within our city limits, we need to be prepared.
Posted on: Sun, 11 Jan 2015 19:25:39 +0000
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