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LIVING NEAR DRILLING
Below, we offer just a small snapshot of news coverage and local stories told by Arlington residents living on the frontlines - next to drilling.
Gas Well blowout at LABC drillsite
Arlington resident who tried to raise the alarm months before a blowout at the Lake Arlington Baptist Church drill site. Learn more about the blowout below.
Arlington Assistant Fire Chief Bill McQuatters explains multiple efforts to bring the Lake Arlington Baptist Church natural gas drill site on Little Road under control in April 2015.
Read more here .
The links take you to media reports.
Another explosion and well shutdown was reported in 2020. Homes are about 300 feet from these gas wells.
Homes border LABC drill site in Arlington
Cleanup operations - soil being removed
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Homes border LABC drill site in Arlington
Here are a few pictures showing the neighborhood before the gas well blowout (first picture) and some of the clean up operations that were visible from the street a few days after the gas well was brought under control.
Arlington Fire department shuts down natural gas well after reports of explosion
Haley Samsel, Star Telegram October 8, 2020
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Arlington firefighters shut down a natural gas well following reports of an explosion at the Lake Arlington Baptist Church drilling site on October 8, 2020. At about 4:47 a.m., Crowson said, Arlington firefighters discovered a loud hissing sound but no fire at 3016 Little Road, the same site where more than 42,000 gallons of fracking fluid leaked into the city’s storm water system in 2015 due to a well head malfunction. The site is in the heart of a residential neighbor with homes around 300 feet away. Read the report by clicking here.
An Arlington resident posted videos of a serious incident at the Fannin Farms site in his neighborhood. Please unmute while viewing for narration. Most "incidents" go undocumented, and there are no air monitors at Arlington drill sites.
"A serious leak happened at the Fannin Farms drill site on September 10 (2019).
Approximately 3 AM I heard a loud hissing like an high pressure line had blew out at the gas well. Called fire department they arrived in 10 minutes and were on scene for over an hour. I spoke with the firemen once the leak had been turned off, he didn't know what substance was polluting the air.
I'll tell you this, the neighborhood which runs along Park Green Drive and Garden Green Drive was absolutely being smothered with this unknown toxic chemical. I feel bad for everyone in that neighborhood breathing this unknown substance for over 1 1/2 hours it tasted bitter and terrible.
Just before posting this @ 6 AM smelled a rotten egg odor in the air, that rig is a mess!", from a neighborhood resident.
A gas well fire at the UT Arlington campus drill site in January 2025. There are ~40,000 students enrolled at UTA.
Arlington Fire Department statement from that time:
"City of Arlington crews, Vantage Energy and Boot and Coots, a well control company, worked through the night to resolve a gas well incident located in the LABC gas well in Southwest Arlington. Boots & Coots well control attempted to re-plug the gas well at 4:00 a.m., but was unsuccessful in their attempt. Boots and Coots will be bringing in additional resources to replace the gas wellhead as quickly and safely as possible. While there has been no gas released to this point, the possibility exist that a release could occur. All citizens are asked to stay away from the area impacted by this gas well incident.”
In May 2022, an incident at Total's Home Run drill site in west Fort Worth caused property damage, damaged lawns and trees, and created noxious smells when it sprayed cars, homes, and lawns with toxic chemicals. The incident damaged several cars parked in the vicinity. Read more.
Residents living near Total's Mt. Tabor drill site in East Fort Worth have experienced damage to their homes' foundations, loud noises at all hours disrupting sleep, and a recent incident where the drill site released black smoke and toxic fumes. Read more.
A resident living near French energy conglomerate Total Energies' Home Run drilling site in Fort Worth, Texas, describes the serious fracking accident that happened in May 2022 and impacts on neighborhood.
Who is Total?
TotalEnergies, based in France and pronounced like this, is the world's fourth largest oil and gas company. They own TEP Barnett which operates a majority of fracking sites in Arlington.
Ironically, they are not allowed to drill in their home country as France has banned fracking.
​You can see a list of all Arlington fracking sites owned and operated by Total here.
Learn more about pollution from gas well sites here.
Earthworks and FracTracker Alliance partnered with us to create a comprehensive report on the pollution emitted from gas wells and compressor stations in Arlington titled Total Disregard.
Many neighbors of the Rocking Horse site on Redwater Drive have also shared concerns with us about serious foundation damage, homes shaking, windows rattling, the inability to sleep because of the noise, cracks in walls, mosquitos, smells, and more.
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Here is what Arlington residents reported in a recent AP story:
"After the drilling started a decade ago at the site, a few hundred feet behind their house, they noticed cracks in their foundation and across their backyard patio. They now receive royalty checks for $15 or $20 a few times a year. That money wouldn’t make a dent in the cost of repairing the cracks in their foundation."
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Total was cited for two violations of the city's drilling ordinance at Rocking Horse
1. Total was cited for a noise violation in January 2021. Since then dozens of noise complaints from the Bruder site have been ignored.
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2. Total used an illegal, polluting diesel rig next to an Arlington daycare in November 2020, causing the city to temporarily shutdown the drill site.
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Footage of Total's drilling operations at their Rocking Horse site- please view with sound on.
Click here to view Faces of Fracking, a six-part documentary series by Michael Rowley, showcasing stories of Arlington residents harmed by fracking, from neighborhoods we serve.
