Live downwind from the Barnett Shale ?
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality posted an interactive map of the Barnett Shale on its website that allows you to see the latest data from the various air quality monitoring sites near natural gas drilling and pipeline facilities.
Barnett Shale Air Sampling Map Viewer
Be forwarned however that the information contained on this website is not for the faint of heart or the casual internet surfer. Those who venture through the maze that is the TCEQ website, without much beyond a basic familiarity of the terms associated with measuring the sundry compounds that can escape from gas operation facilities, might find themselves challenged to understand what the map offers.
TCEQ has been under pressure from North Texas lawmakers and from various interest groups to provide the public with as much information as possible about how gas operations in the urbanized Barnett Shale might be affecting air quality. And the introduction of the map comes just four days after the chairmen of the House and Senate committees that oversee environmental regulations prompted the agency to more than double the number of air monitoring sites in the Barnett Shale.
TCEQ also announced today that it plans to hold an open house in the Barnett Shale area in October that will feature interactive displays and presentations where residents can learn about specific regulatory activities in the area. Details about when and where the open house will take place are not yet available but we will let you know as soon as we know.
TCEQ has said that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency evaluated its monitoring operations in the tiny town of Dish and found no reason to doubt the validity of the test results.
Feeling adventurous? Want to to spend part of your weekend wandering around virtually through the new interactive map? Click here.
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By promoting cleaner energy, cleaner government, and cleaner air for all Texans, we hope to provide for a healthy place to live and prosper. We are Public Citizen Texas.
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…trying to do some amature research on safe places to live in the denton/tarrant county areas. we are moving and looking in flower mound, copper canyon, argyle and not sure where it is safe to be……..can anyone provide some insite on whether we should live near a drill site and what are the risks of living in the areas with gas drilling going on? Thanks
Jess,
I highly recommend you watch the film “Gasland.” Here is a link to the website where you can order it:
http://www.gaslandthemovie.com/
If you are thinking of purchasing a home near a fracking well I recommend against it. I would also recommend canvassing the neighborhood and asking residents who have lived there for a while if they have had any problems with the nearby wells, particularly if they have had drinking water problems. Even if there are no ground water problems you may want to research how many wells there are within a few miles radius of the house – the air emissions from one well alone are not horrible, but when you have a bunch of wells close together it can become a serious issue.
Ryan,
we were able to download the public well sample from the site behind the home we are looking at – do you know of anyone who can read the report and know how to interpret what it all means?
thanks for any info or contacts you may have to share.
will check it the link – thanks!
we plan on talking to the neighbors on our next visit to the neighborhood to ask around – most of the residents have been there for 10+ years.