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For the second time in a year, the Texas Railroad Commission has cited a Gainesville company with improperly operating a saltwater disposal well near homes, schools and businesses north of Aledo.
In a Thursday letter to CES Saltwater Disposal, the railroad commission told the company that it had 17 days to repair the violation at a well site along Bearcat Road and Interstate 20 or its compliance certificate will be canceled. The problem occurred in what is known as a bradenhead valve, which monitors the pressure between the well’s production and surface casings, commission spokeswoman Ramona Nye told the Star-Telegram.Doug Gossett of Complete Energy Services, the parent company that operates the well, could not be reached for comment. But in a letter to a nearby business owner, Gossett wrote that the company is working to fix the problem. "We are developing an approach which we believe should address your concerns and look forward to sharing it with you," Gossett wrote Dan Johnson, owner of Pets West, which is next to the well site.The well has not been shut down, but state authorities will inspect it again the week of Nov. 23, Nye said.In an Oct. 22 inspection, it was discovered that the valve was left open. Nye said that the violation is not the same one found in October 2008, when the company was cited for failing to report a "down hole communication problem," which could result in a hole in the injection well tubing. The railroad commission ordered that the well be shut down then until the repairs were made.Saltwater wells are used to dispose of gas-drilling waste. Besides naturally occurring salt, the water can contain drilling chemicals, drilling mud and crude oil. Resident complaintThe Pets West owner complained to the state after he became concerned about standing water and runoff into a drainage ditch as well as dust and other problems."I’m all for people doing business, but when they don’t conduct themselves like good neighbors, then I have a problem with it," Johnson said.In a railroad commission letter to Johnson that was provided to the Star-Telegram, the agency noted that the bradenhead valve connections were open to the atmosphere and that control was not being maintained.Other violations included standing water from recent rains, and water leaching from an upslope area on the east side of the lease with runoff toward the drainage ditch near the Interstate 20 frontage road, the letter stated.The letter also said that green vegetation was in the area and that nothing indicated that the standing and runoff water was contaminated with the oil field brine.In a letter from Complete Energy Services to Johnson, Gossett said the company is "examining other ways to mitigate the potential for airborne dust and silt runoff. We expect to finalize this plan by the end of the month and look forward to meeting with you to discuss it once it is finalized."Previous inspectionIn May, the railroad commission ruled that CES Saltwater Disposal would not face a penalty hearing because the company was not aware of pressure problems before an inspection in 2008.CES also took the necessary steps to bring the well in to compliance with state regulations. The well is less than a mile from a subdivision that gets its drinking water from wells, and near a swimming pool business. During that inspection, a railroad commission inspector found two produced water spills on the site: one measuring 120 by 50 feet and one 30 by 8 feet. The wastewater had soaked through the dirt berms surrounding the site. Also found was an 8-by-2-foot spill of hydrocarbon, or oil. The inspector also found evidence that the well was leaking below ground, and his supervisor ordered it shut down until it could be repaired.We are developing an approach [to] address your concerns."
Doug Gossettof the well’s operator
ELIZABETH CAMPBELL, 817-390-7696
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