By Alan Gibbs, City Engineer
The oil and gas boom has made the United States the world’s top oil producer, thanks largely to oil extraction from shale formations in Texas and North Dakota. Brazos County sits on the eastern edge of one of the country’s largest shale formations, the Eagle Ford, which stretches from the Mexican border to Leon County.
Balancing economic interests with environmental concerns and neighborhood impacts has made drilling and fracking a major issue across the nation. With local oil and gas production thriving, the City of College Station is looking at ways to amend its existing oil and gas ordinance (Sec. 4-13), which hasn’t been updated in more than two decades.
With Brazos County attracting keen interest from the oil and gas industry, many of our residents have become concerned about the environmental impact this activity will have on our area, especially our groundwater.
We sit on the eastern edge of the Eagle Ford Shale, which stretches across South Texas from Laredo to Huntsville. Based on capital invested, industry analysts claim Eagle Ford is the largest oil and gas development in the world, and that Texas could produce more oil by the end of the year than all OPEC countries except Saudi Arabia.
At last count, Brazos County had 515 oil wells and 98 gas wells.
“What you’re seeing unfold in the Eagle Ford (Shale) is probably the greatest energy success story of the 21st century,” ConocoPhillips exploration official Greg LeVeille said last month. He added that the drilling activity will likely continue for many years.
That bustling activity will undoubtedly have a positive economic impact, but how can we limit the impact to our environment and ensure a safe, high-quality water supply?
Is our water supply at risk? (more…)