Are you smarter than a 6th grader?

We know the answer.

A group local of sixth graders will be doing the Water District’s job for them.   All we can say is Hallelujah, at least someone is.

Three units of Wied's gifted and talented language arts classes are participating in a year-long project called Operation H {-2}O. The project is intended to bring local, national and global water concerns to the forefront and help craft a plan of action.

The objectives of the Cross Timbers students include educating students and the community about the limited availability of drinking water in Texas and the world.

Their action plan includes promoting water conservation and encouraging lawmakers to put water infrastructure funding in the Texas legislative budget.

They are raising money to purchase equipment for an Indian village to provide its inhabitants with clean water.

"If we run out of water by 2030, I'll only be 30 years old," Buhr said. "It'll be a short life."

Read more here:

Dallas Morning News

All these years, and they are still reporting news. 

They are interested in what's happening with Tarrant County water.  WHERE is YOUR paper?

We noticed some familiar names in the article.  Do YOU? 

The article mentions the Tarrant Regional Water District supplies water to 1.7 million.  With all the Trinity River Vision distractions, we thought they might have forgot.

Which would you rather have, a water supply or more development?

Arlington vote on permanent water restrictions on hold, at least for now

A top official at the Tarrant Regional Water District said consumption has to go down among its largest customers.

“We do need everyone to come up to that conservation level [so] that we can delay construction of a new project,” said Linda Christie, the water district’s community and government relations director. “They’ll have to come up with a way to reach the conservation level that’s necessary.”

Christie wouldn’t speculate about how the water district might react if Arlington couldn’t or wouldn’t reduce its demand. She only said she was confident that the city — which uses about 18 percent of the district’s water — would find ways to conserve. The district supplies about 1.7 million people with water.

“We haven’t reached that bridge yet,” she said. “If we have to make a decision, we will.”

The goal, they said, was to delay the expensive and inevitable expansion of the water supply for a growing region.

Christie said the delay allows water suppliers to pay down their debt before having to spend millions or even billions for new pipelines and reservoirs.The city of Irving and the Tarrant water district have also faced major legal setbacks in their efforts to acquire new water supplies from Oklahoma.

“Even though we’re up here talking about it, it might not work,” Cluck said, summarizing the mayors’ consensus. “There could be a city council or two or three that would not support it.”

He said he was unaware there was significant opposition on the council until it was too late.

“I didn’t really pick up on that until the day of the meeting,” he said. “I was shocked, however, when we had a motion to approve it and couldn’t get a second.”

 Kelly Canon, an Arlington Tea Party activist who helped organize opposition Tuesday, said the mayors had already decided on these rules and held their news conference before consulting with their councils or the public. She said conservatives in Arlington have been fighting against efforts to “shove” smart meters, hike and bike trails and other projects “down our throats.”

Acknowledging that the water supply is a critical issue, Canon said she would favor an expanded tier system that would charge more for larger water users. She said that would raise more money to expand supply, while giving customers an incentive to save water.

Texas Water Restrictions

What restrictions?

Apparently they only apply to YOU.

So do vehicle registrations, headlights and license plates...

Arlington Water

Talking about Tarrant County water restrictions has raised some comments and push back. 

Read the comment here and read what happened at the Arlington Council meeting on the FW Weekly.

Again, we are about conserving water, but still take issue with the word - permanent.

And the thought that any variation from that schedule (ever) is a $2,000 fine is disturbing. 

Also, should we conserve water to bring new people to the area?  Shouldn't the reason be to provide it for our kids and their kids?

Waitin' on Water

Well, waiting to sue our neighbors again for theirs.

Politex explains WHY Irving and their current mayor have jumped on board. Now, WHY would the Supreme Court need another week? 

WHAT happens when the water is gone?  WHO will come to Texas then?  WHERE will you get water?

The U.S 10th Circuit and a lower federal court ruled in favor of Oklahoma in the lawsuit, in which the water district seeks to obtain water from north of the Red River to serve as part of the Metroplex's future water supply.

"The Supreme Court today decided to take another week to consider Tarrant’s certiorari petition challenging Oklahoma laws barring the export of water to Texas – indicating that the Justices are interested in Tarrant’s arguments and intend to study the case more deeply," said attorney Timothy S. Bishop.

"The Court will discuss whether to grant Tarrant’s petition again on March 30."

Last week, the Supreme declined to hear another case involving water being moved from Oklahoma to Texas. Hugo, Okla., had an agreement to sell water to Irving and the lower courts had ruled that Hugo couldn't sell water without Oklahoma's permission.

No response

No surprise.

This attorney wouldn't call the FW Weekly back.  WHY not?

Call and ask him.  Check on the status of YOUR First Amendment rights.

And back up a Texas Hero while you're at it. 

Is there an attorney in the house?

Read about TXSharon and Range Resources on the Fort Worth Weekly.com.  They have the digits.

Everybody's talkin' about

WATER.

YOU might want to listen.

The WFAA video that TXSharon posted shows some of what is coming from an injection well site to a creek in Johnson County.  It ain't pig blood, but it ain't good.  And where does this unnamed creek end up?  In Joe Pool Lake.  A source of drinking water for many Texans. 

The FW Weekly tells you about the water battle taking place all over the United States, the battle between THE PEOPLE and the industry.  What happens when it's YOUR drinking water supply?  WHO will save YOU?

And the Star-Telegram tells you the latest on the Range Resources lawsuit mentioned in the part of the Weekly article below.

Did three "news" sources in Fort Worth all report on water issues?  What is the world coming to?

"The gas companies own the Railroad Commission," Lipsky said in reference to Range and other natural gas producers.

Lipsky said of Range, "They own the system ... they know they got away with it (water well contamination) and they're laughing about it. ... God help us all."

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/01/28/3694982/judge-parker-county-not-the-place.html#storylink=cpy

_____________________________________

From FWW:
The area was quickly designated an EPA Superfund site, meaning that it has been found to be contaminated with hazardous chemicals and that the EPA will try to determine who is responsible so that they can be legally forced to clean up the mess.

The EPA’s findings, released as a draft last month, clearly lay the blame at the feet of the gas industry and in particular, Encana Corporation, the gas field owner around Pavillion.

The agency found that natural gas and dangerous chemicals were migrating through local aquifers. More importantly the EPA discovered, via its own monitoring wells, that man-made chemicals used exclusively for hydraulic fracturing are showing up in the water.

In other words, these chemicals couldn’t have come from some sort of natural source or even another man-made source, but only from gas drilling. It was the first time that a direct scientific link has been made between gas drilling and groundwater contamination.

Not surprisingly, Encana and the industry are fighting back, arguing that the EPA’s findings are flawed on several grounds. The impact on their industry — and the worldwide natural gas supply situation — could be tremendous, if the EPA’s findings are upheld.

At stake are shale plays all around the country that have not been allowed to proceed until the gas industry proves it can drill without contaminating water supplies. Not to mention the blowback in places like Texas, where landowners across the Barnett Shale and other shale areas could conceivably use the EPA’s findings as a basis for damage suits and  actions to prevent or stop drilling activities. The Natural Resources Defense Council has a list of 36 places around the country — including nine in the Barnett Shale —  where landowners believe that gas fracking has contaminated their water wells.

One of those problem areas in North Texas, involving three homeowners in Hill County, stopped being a problem after the drillers, Williams Production–Gulf Coast Co., purchased all of the affected property. A second local case, involving possible contamination by Range Resources of water wells in Parker County is an ongoing legal battle.

Putting the Cat Back in the Bag

When you cannot depend on those who are paid to protect you, you must protect yourself and your family.

A letter from former DISH Mayor, Calvin Tillman. Protector of THE PEOPLE.

YOU can't afford to miss it. Unless of course you have no skin in the game....

For those really smart people who think that everything is fine in Gasland, please let me know...I bet I could find you a great deal on a house with a compressor station in your back yard, because it is very easy to say things are fine, when you don't have any skin in the game.

Since the town of DISH released the results of the ambient air study in 2009, the oil and gas industry has worked overtime to put that cat back into the bag. They first attacked the consultant that conducted our study, and then came after me personally with numerous threats and frivolous public information requests. They also spent a tremendous amount of resources to find any angle to put a cloud of doubt around the study, although the lab results clearly showed a problem, and subsequent studies show similar results including those studies perform by the oil and gas industry themselves. This rhetoric did not stop at the industry public relations departments, but also went to the highest levels of government in the State of Texas. Our state wide elected Railroad Commissioners can be heard on public record regurgitating the same vile comments that the industry groups were spewing, all working in collusion to make this little problem go away.

Once the Town of DISH started to get attention worldwide from this air study, the industry worked even harder to cloud the truth. Through my research it is apparent that the oil and gas industry will dispute any and all actions that cost the industry money, even likely spending more money to dispute the facts than accept responsibility and correcting the problem. Although, if they would show even one ounce of responsibility, it would pay huge dividends to their public image. One example of this propaganda is the AskChesapeake (CHK) website. Before the town of DISH air study was made public, there was a section of this website that admitted to the release of many of the chemicals found in DISH, and other areas, including the carcinogen benzene. The site indicated that these chemicals were tightly regulated by numerous state and federal agencies. When the DISH study was released, it became apparent that these sites weren't quite as regulated as Chesapeake (CHK) had indicated. Therefore, shortly after the release of the DISH air study, which had Chesapeake's (CHK) name all over it, that section of their website disappeared, and was replaced with a page that basically said " a little benzene exposure is ok".

The industry also likes to deflect blame from themselves by pointing out other industries that pollute. They act as though bad behavior by others makes it alright for them to do it. I have heard that there have been idle threats aimed at municipalities from Chesapeake, stating that if air testing was accomplished at any of their facilities, they would hire a firm to test the air around some of the area's largest employers. Hmmm, didn't see that advertised on AskChesapeake.

Now when traveling to make presentations around the country, I carry a library of air studies, and numerous photos from around the country. I explain these studies and photos during my presentation, because I know by now that someone will accuse me of dramatizing these issues. The industry would much rather show a photo of a little deer running in front of a drilling rig, than an aerial view of DISH, or better yet, the satellite images that show thousands of large well pad sites. That makes it a little difficult for them to say that there will only be a few wells here and there, and the land will be returned to its original condition. Therefore, the group of paid liars, show up and video my presentation, trying to find something to take out of context and use against me. They then write some hack piece on their websites that are only read by those looking to get paid by the industry, and that makes the band of thugs applaud.

Another issue that follows the same pattern is the small community of Dimock, PA. A private water well actually exploded and yet now the claim is that everything is fine, again trying to put the cat back in the bag. Anyone who has visited the affected people in Dimock, know that everything is not fine, but rather still quite a mess. But the state agency designed to protect the people of Pennsylvania are also working in collusion with the oil and gas industry. This agency has allowed the industry to stop delivering fresh water to those whose water wells are tainted by the irresponsible activities of others. With these sort of actions, does anyone wonder why people are moving out of Gasland? When you cannot depend on those who are paid to protect you, you must protect yourself and your family. None of us are in this position because of our own doing, or because we want to be.

There have been numerous university studies that have attempted to validate the industry's stories. Whether it deals with health impacts, or economic impacts, if they are funded by the industry, they always paint a rosy picture. While typically those who perform studies that are not funded by the industry, typically tell a different story, and if the story is not rosy, it is attacked. In the industries eyes only the studies they fund are valid, and not too many studies show a rosy picture if they are not industry funded. There have been numerous air studies accomplished throughout the Barnett Shale. First there was the DISH Study, that was followed up by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality testing, then the industry performed a study, and lastly the City of Fort Worth perform a study. If looking at only the lab results, all of the studies have very similar findings. There were the same chemicals detected and at levels above the Effects Screening Levels, including benzene that was detected in all of the studies. Frankly, some of the benzene levels found in the other areas were much worse than those found in DISH. However, the study in DISH indicated that there might be a problem with being exposed to benzene, while the other studies indicated that being exposed to a little benzene was ok, and when the levels were very high, they stated that they were being corrected. Although the lab results showed problem, the press release said everything was rosy. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality actually lied to the public about their test results, and had a subsequent internal ethics investigation that showed how this organization intentionally misled the public when they stated that they had not detected benzene in eight air samples, when results showed that half of the samples had elevated benzene levels. No one was ever held accountable for this intentional misleading of the public.

The Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) even came to DISH to take blood and urine samples. This showed several elevated chemicals in the blood and urine of over half of the households, and most of those chemicals had been found to be produced by the compressor station; however, the TDSHS said things like household chemicals and smoking caused the elevated levels, when only four of the twenty seven people tested actually smoked. I was one of the ones who gave samples for the test, and along with 2/3 of those tested, I had toluene in my system. The TDSHS blamed this exposure on my commute, which I had not accomplished in 72 hours, and the half life for toluene is said to be 4 hours. During the meeting where they presented this information, there were several questions posed that the TDSHS could not answer, such as what the number of men vs women that were tested, were there different results in men vs women, how far did each person live from a well or compressor site, did those who lived closer to wells or compressors have higher exposure than those living further away. After it became apparent that the person responsible did not do an effective study, she admitted that this was not a scientific study, and that it should not be looked at as such (you can find the presentation on youtube). However, it has been treated and touted as the smoking gun that things are fine...nothing to see here . There have even been those in academia who have supported this study after it was admittedly flawed, while both the university professors, and the TDSHS are both paid by the State of Texas, where negative talk about the oil and gas industry is not tolerated. Consequently, the governor, who has never had a real job, made a run for President of the United States due to his support from the oil and gas industry, although that is not working out to well for him.

I do not have PhD that follows my name, nor am any kind of scientist, doctor,or lawyer. I admittedly do not understand things like climate change or global warming, but I do believe that I have a little common sense, and I have a lot of smart people that consult me. Therefore, when the benzene level goes up, so does the risk of someone getting cancer, and my children waking up to massive nosebleeds is not normal. Since moving from DISH 9 months ago my children have not suffered one nosebleed in the middle of the night. So although I am not a scientist, and can't explain why my children were getting nosebleeds, or why the noxious odors gave me a headache and a sore throat, I know I feel better now, have a lot more energy, and that moving out of Gasland was a smart move for me and my family. For those really smart people who think that everything is fine in Gasland, please let me know...I bet I could find you a great deal on a house with a compressor station in your back yard, because it is very easy to say things are fine, when you don't have any skin in the game.

Calvin Tillman
Former Mayor, DISH, TX

Road closed

Why?

Durango knows.  YOU should too.

Texas Water Problems

This is just the tip of the iceberg...

Last night WFAA did a story on another Texas town that is on the verge of running out of water. Grosebeck is one of seventeen towns the TCEQ says will be out of water by the end of the year.  Maybe even this month.  It's 90 miles outside of Dallas.  In a state the size of Texas, that's too close for comfort.

WFAA also has a story on the water main break in Denton forcing the hospital to stop admitting patients in the Emergency Room.  How do you run a hospital with no water?  How do you run a city with no water?  Heaven forbid, a state?

The NPR sheds some light on some of the Texas water problems, they run deep.  From soon drinking our own waste, to how much water energy companies really use (no one knows), to how long it will be before a "barrel of water is worth more than a barrel of oil."

And check out the Stockyards Cesspool and the Free spirit trying to save it in the Fort Worth Weeky.

Does anyone else see a pattern here?

Fuzzy math...and water

The Fort Worth Business Press recently did an article on the recent meeting concerning the Texas water shortage.  Yes, "leaders" finally admit there is one.  (Remember back when the Biz Press was concerned about water?)

The article says Texas business could lose hundreds of billions of dollars due to having no water.  Don't worry, the Trinity River Vision will save us.  Or not.

Notice what they say about Proposition 2 and general obligation bonds.  Remember, you don't get to vote on those either.

State representatives and city officials convened for the Oct. 20 gathering, where a DFW Hyatt Regency ballroom echoed with urgency.

Officials hammered home some startling facts. Unless more water infrastructure is built, Texas businesses and their employees could lose $115.7 billion in income, according to figures released by the Texas Water Development Board.

If approved by voters, the constitutional amendment would allow the Texas Water Development Board to issue general obligation bonds for water infrastructure upgrades.

“Water is really about economics"

You can say that again.

REVOKED

Arlington has revoked a Chesapeake gas well permit.  WHY would such a pro gas city do such a thing? 

Again, it all comes back to WATER.

If anyone is taking notes, be sure and note for once, Chesapeake declined to comment.  

Don't miss the article in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

One of the city's gas well inspectors found that Chesapeake Energy was bringing in water from a Fort Worth pond through a temporary pipeline to its Barron drill site on West Division Street, Community Development and Planning Director Jim Parajon said Friday. The company's permit, however, said water for drilling operations would be supplied through a nearby fire hydrant.

This wasn't Chesapeake's first infraction involving water. In August, Arlington cited Chesapeake for trucking water it bought at one of its south Arlington well sites to a Grand Prairie well site, which violates city ordinance. The water, which Chesapeake had paid for, was pulled from a frack pond filled at the site. The company called the incident a misunderstanding and said it would pay the fine, which the city had recommended the court set at the maximum, $2,000.

This year, Arlington increased inspections at its 384 natural gas wells. Wells are now inspected monthly; previously they were visited once a year or when complaints were filed. Random inspections were also made during drilling, city officials said.

More Cheers

Seems some are paying attention, read the Cheer in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Cheers: 

To Layla Caraway, Bob Lukeman and TRIP for winning the Conservation Award at the Glen Rose Film Festival! If you are concerned about out-of-control spending by your government or what's happening with your water, watch Up a Creek. Together, we can make a difference.

-- Debbie L. Sheffield,

Texas Water Wars

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram Cheers and Jeers this weekend shows WHO’s paying attention.  Maybe YOU should.  Before it’s too late.

Remember, they are only paying for what they use when a meter’s running.

Jeers: To the gas well drillers of Barnett Shale and their TV commercial on water conservation.  If they truly mean they are conserving and protecting our water supply, then why are they using it like there is an endless supply in their drilling operations?  Get real, people!

Jim L. Burden, Crowley

Jeers: To Chesapeake Energy for using 4 million gallons of city water to fill the lake on Bryant Irvin Road.  As water supplies dwindle and restrictions are put in place, how did this happen?  A poor example of conservation, but a typical action by the company we are forced to live with.

Bourke Harvey – Fort Worth

Does that say FORT WORTH??

The City council wants to look at the gas drilling ordinance?  OUR city council?

Somebody pinch us, we must be dreaming.

Read it in the Fort Worth Business Press.

At the Pre-council session of Tuesday’s regular City Council meeting, some council members raised objections to issues related to multiple-well site permitting, grandfathering and other factors related to gas well drilling.

THE PEOPLE get it

WHY don't the "leaders"?  Oh yes, greed.

Another good Letter to the Editor in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Water shell game

Public Relations 101, courtesy of the Barnett Shale industry: The issue should not be that we're quite frankly poisoning your water, but more that we welcome every opportunity to discuss air quality.

It's not that we're matter-of-factly poisoning your water, it's that we're paying people -- creating jobs -- to do it.

It's not that we are giving briefcases of cash to your politicians to feint laughable regulation, it's just that, by the time you wake up, we'll have scattered and be back selling you the greatest commodity in history: potable water.

-- Scott Krauza, Bedford

Fracing up the river...

Seems we've mentioned this before...

Gas drillers removing water from OUR rivers and creeks.  Ultimately, WHO pays?  YOU do.

Read about it on FWCANDO.  Then, DO something.

Now, in the middle of a record-breaking drought and with the blessing of the Fort Worth Mayor and City Council, Chesapeake is preparing to frack the well with water from the river. As of last week, they began ramming water-sucking pipes through the park, right next to the duck pond and playgrounds where children play.

Hey Brother, can you spare some outrage?

Finally...

A city with common sense?

From the Dallas Morning News - Grand Prairie cutting off the water supply for some gas drilling operations because of drought conditions.

Duh. 

Fort Worth Air Quality

Or lack thereof...

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram has an article written by Jim Bradbury that YOU don't want to miss concerning the recent air quality study in Fort Worth.

The value of royalty income will prove fleeting if we discover all too late that the health of our young and old was diminished because we were unwilling to press this issue.

Credibility was key for this work. After the protocol was developed and Eastern Research Group selected to do the work, the city staff folded back into a behind-the-scenes process of developing the contract. The process was not open to the Air Quality Study Committee or the public.

Benzene, the contaminant that has drawn much of the current attention on air quality, was detected 94 percent of the time. It is the best marker of an emission problem.

Seven other volatile organic compounds were detected at rates higher than 90 percent. That these values were collected citywide underscores the gravity of the situation.

The report identified seven key pollutants for Fort Worth. Eastern Research's analysis appears to judge the presence of the pollutants only by whether they produce an "urgent health hazard." That leaves open a very important question about Fort Worth's overall near- and short-term air quality.

This may be too simplistic for air scientists, but if we find benzene 94 percent of the time, we have a problem.

Texas Drought

Yahoo news does a story on a Texas lake turned blood red.

Why are the fish dead?
From a bacteria that thrives in oxygen deprived water.

Chromatiaceae bacteria.

WHO keeps telling you to come on down and get in the Trinity River for a float, on a tube?  The Tarrant Regional Water District and/or their corporation, the Trinity River Vision Authority. 

The article says many West Texas reservoirs have done dry.  Some are calling it the end of times...well, what do you think happens when WE run out of water?

We're in a drought, you know.

There is a comment on the article that seemed to sum it up.....

We should not be so worried about God ending the world, because we are doing a pretty good job.

Drought doesn't just apply to the weather...pay attention.  YOU can't afford not to.