For Immediate Release
Media Contact: SJ Stout
sjstout@commissionshift.org
Odessa, TX — Produced water is flowing to the surface and contaminating the Pecos River for the seventh week in a row. Photos and footage show oil slicks running about one quarter to a half mile long in the riverbed, and the formation of a roughly 3” thick salt crust on the river’s surface.
There is no confirmation of the original pollution source. Some responders speculate it is a pipeline and others point to nearby inactive wells.
Pecos produced water river leak and salt crust. Credit: Schuyler Wight
After the leak was first reported, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) was on the scene pumping the standing produced water out of the river, but the polluted water has since returned. The Railroad Commission (RRC), the state oil and gas oversight agency, has also been to the site, but has not yet confirmed the leak’s source or the responsible party to plug and remediate.
Rancher Schuyler Wight witnessed the wet ground and salts coming to the surface on the river bank and provided coordinates for a nearby inactive well, urging the Railroad Commission to investigate. “I know it’s a pain to deal with landowners,” said Schuyler Wight, “but we do have some local knowledge that might be helpful every once in a while.”
“The source of the produced water seep must be identified and resources must be mobilized to address it as quickly as possible,” said Julie Range, Commission Shift policy manager. “This leak has filled a section of river with salt that may be laced with heavy metals and other toxic chemicals that should be removed and not be left to flow downstream and harm ecosystems.”
The well coordinates are approximate to API 371-03822. A search of RRC records shows the well was plugged in 1983 on a lease operated by Crescent Energy Operating, LLC. A nearby injection well (API 371-32969) failed its mechanical integrity tests back in 2006 and appears not to be plugged, nor has it had a mechanical integrity test since.
The Railroad Commission is currently accepting public comments on a rulemaking to strengthen rules for inactive wells, like API 371-32969, including rules requiring operators to plug idle wells sooner and to prevent costly contamination of the surrounding environment and sources of water.
However, recent public records requests reveal oil and gas industry representatives have seen the latest drafts of the rule since early September and have already offered comments, resulting in substantive changes to the proposed rule. The RRC also held a stakeholder meeting to which industry was invited, but not the public. Records available upon request.
The Pecos River leak also highlights the need for increased agency funding in order to increase field inspectors and shorten response times.
View more on-the-ground and aerial-view photos of the river seep.
