"It Looks Fine to Me."

Apparently, the City of Grand Prairie, TX checked with USACE and everything "looks fine" for hooking up the gathering pipeline system to get that shale gas to China or unnamed foreign countries.

Remember the USACE rep who thought everything looked "fine," too back in the summer?  We've just never figured out who that was for sure.

We're very proud to know that South Grand Prairie's Corn Valley site will be providing shale gas to foreign countries.

We still hope and pray that the dam won't be compromised. Because really, that's all we've got at this point. The money is so "fine." The Joe Pool Lake Dam is one fine cash cow for our City and for a church with the ever-changing name, a school system willing to risk the health of the children and a state in need of a new legislature and a new governor. {{sheer frustration}}

So, in light of all of this, here are the Agenda Details for the upcoming Grand Prairie, TX City Council Meeting, Tuesday, December 13, 2011 at the Temporary Location at the GPISD Administration Building at 2602 South Beltline Road in south Grand Prairie beginning at 6:30 PM. Y'all come.

Updated Information (from the Agenda Details, Page 7):

Click the File Number 11-4440 to read the actual details at the above link.

"At the previous City Council meeting, a request for clarification was made to ensure the US Army Corps of Engineers did not intend to include gas pipelines in the request for a moratorium.

The City received information from the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Fort Worth District regarding the impacts associated with this line. Based on the technical information provided, the Corps of Engineers review team determined that the proposed action would have minimal potential for direct impact to Joe Pool Dam and their Dam Safety Officer concurred. As such, USACE has no objection with allowing the installation of the pipeline."

As such???  So, the City Staff called the Corps. Who did they talk to? This certainly doesn't give a lot of "detail" for us to know any of that. Maybe they think we're not "interested." 

Well, hello, City Staff and City Council, we're Very Interested. This just won't do for an explanation in light of the recent Moratorium and in light of what the new United States Army Corps of Engineers Southwest District Policy states about their concerns. Maybe you haven't read it??

Here it is.

Somehow, we find it very hard to believe that USACE would not show up to speak to this issue of pipeline construction near a federal dam.  We hope they will.  Good Lord.  Colonel Muraski even told us it could be catastrophic!!

Gas Pipeline Accidents Listed

In light of the currently "tabled" vote on the Corn Valley lateral gas gathering pipeline construction ~  (see this blog post and this one) ~ right through the heart of our Westchester community...here is a list of all pipeline accidents in the current year (2011). We don't take any of this lightly. Our homes are only a few hundred feet (and less) from the current plans. Take note. This is serious business.

• 2011 A gas main being repaired in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania explodes, killing a repair crew member and injuring 6 others on January 18.^[654]
• 2011 Gas pressure regulators failed and caused a gas pressure surge in Fairport Harbor, Ohio, on January 24, causing gas fires in 11 homes, and one apartment. 150 gas appliances were damaged or destroyed, but there were no injuries. Gas company Dominion East Ohio says it found fluids and debris in a failed regulator and is investigating how that happened.^{[655][656][657]}
• 2011 5 people are killed and 8 homes are destroyed in an apparent gas explosion and fire in Allentown, Pennsylvania on February 10. The NTSB had warned UGI about cast iron gas mains needing replacement after the 1990 gas explosion in that city. Between 1976 and the date of the letter, July 10, 1992, two more gas explosions occurred. Three people were killed, 23 injured and 11 homes were destroyed or damaged in those explosions.^{[658][659][660]}
• 2011 Late on February 10, a 36 inch diameter gas transmission pipeline explodes near Lisbon, Ohio. No injuries resulted. The cause was from stress on a joint on the pipeline.^[661][662]
• 2011 Early on February 24, a pipeline near Texas City, Texas ruptured, sending up to 5,000 US gallons (19,000 L) of gasoline into Bayou Pierre.^[663][664]
• 2011 Early on March 17, a 20-inch steel natural gas line running through a Minneapolis, Minnesota neighborhood ruptured and gas from it ignited, caused evacuations to buildings nearby, and Interstate 35W was closed from downtown Minneapolis to Highway 62. There were no injuries.^[665][666]
• 2011 A farmer & rancher near White Oak Township, Michigan smelled gasoline on April 13, and discovered gasoline from a products pipeline leaking into a drainage ditch. As of late September, an estimated 460,000 gallons of gasoline had been released, with about 111,000 gallons of it recovered.^[667]
• 2011 On May 19, a 10 inch diameter crude oil pipeline ruptured near Maysville, Oklahoma. Over 42,000 US gallons (160,000 L) of crude were lost. There was no fire. Internal pipeline corrosion was the cause.^[668][669]
• 2011 A 2 inch diameter lateral on a crude oil pipeline rupture in Huntington Beach, California on July 1. A major road, Goldenwest Street, had to be closed for cleaning and pipeline repairs.^[670]
• 2011 Late on July 2, a 12-inch diameter Exxon Mobil crude oil pipeline ruptured, and spilled oil into the Yellowstone River in south-central Montana. Some residents of Laurel, Montana had to be evacuated.^[671][672] The break near Billings fouled the riverbank and forced municipalities and irrigation districts to close intakes.^[673][674] As much as 1,000 barrels (160 m³), or 42,000 US gallons (160,000 L), of oil spilled before the flow through the damaged pipeline was stopped, officials said.^[675] About 140 people were evacuated starting about 12:15 a.m. Saturday due to concerns about possible explosions and the overpowering fumes. All were allowed to return after instruments showed petroleum odors had decreased,^[676] although no information was available regarding the concentrations of benzene in air. Speculation involves high water flow in the Yellowstone River may have scoured the river bed and exposed the pipe. Consequently, with three oil refineries are located in the Billings area, the fire chief for the city of Laurel said he asked all three to turn off the flow of oil in their pipelines under the river after the leak was reported. ExxonMobil and Cenex Harvest Refinery did so, and that Conoco Phillips said its pipe was already shutdown.^[676] Cenex had a release into the Yellowstone River in September 2002. Exxon Mobil later announced the cleanup would cost $135 million.^[677]
• 2011 On July 20, a six month old 30 inch diameter natural gas pipeline exploded near Gillette, Wyoming, creating a 60-foot (18 m) crater. There was no fire, nor any injuries.^[678]
• 2011 A pipeline carrying jet fuel ruptured in Mango, Florida on July 22. About 31,500 US gallons (119,000 L) of fuel spilled. There was no fire or injuries.^[679]
• 2011 On August 13, an 8 inch diameter NGL pipeline ruptured near Onowa, Iowa at a Missouri River crossing, during flooding conditions. About 3,350 barrels of NGL's were lost. There were no evacuations or injuries, but 2 other pipelines in the same right of way were forced to shut down. ^[680][681]
• 2011 A pipeline carrying heating oil was hit by construction workers in East Providence, Rhode Island on August 31, spraying oil on roofs, trees, and pavement, and flowed into storm drains. At least 56,000 US gallons (210,000 L) of oil were spilled.^[682]
• 2011 A Cupertino, California condominium was gutted August 31, after a plastic pipeline fitting cracked, filling the garage with natural gas that exploded just minutes after the owner left for lunch. PG&E later found six other plastic pipe failures near the blast site. The line was an especially problematic type of pipe manufactured by DuPont called Aldyl-A. PG&E has 1,231 miles (1,981 km) of the early-1970s-vintage pipe in its system. Federal regulators singled out pre-1973 Aldyl-A starting in 2002 as being at risk of failing because of premature cracking. Explosions caused by failed Aldyl-A and other types of plastic pipe have killed more than 50 people in the United States since 1971, the federal government says. ^[683]
• 2011 On September 20, a farmer digging to lay drainage tile hit a 10 inch diameter gasoline pipeline near Aurelius, New York, spilling about 3,300 US gallons (12 m³) of gasoline. There was no fire or injuries.^[684]
• 2011 A 2 inch diameter crude oil gathering pipeline failed in Oklahoma on October 12, spilling about 120 barrels of oil. There were no injuries or fire from the failure.^[685]
• 2011 Early on November 3, an explosion and fire hit a gas transmission pipeline compressor station near Artemas, Pennsylvania. There were no injuries.^[686]
• 2011 A crew working on a waterline hit a gas distribution pipeline in Fairborn, Ohio on November 12, leading to a gas explosion that killed one man, and injured 5 others, including children.^[687]
• 2011 On November16, a 36 inch diameter gas transmission pipeline exploded and burned near Glouster, Ohio. There were 2 people injured, with 3 homes and a barn destroyed, and 2 more homes and a barn damaged.^[688]
• 2011 Late on November 21, a 24 inch diameter gas transmission pipeline exploded and burned near Batesville, Mississippi. 20 homes were evacuated for a time, but there were no injuries or major property damage.^[690]
• 2011 On December 3, a gas transmission pipeline exploded and burned in Marengo County, Alabama. There were no injuries or serious property damage.^[691]

Link to List of Pipeline Accidents in the United States since 1890 (including references).

Pipeline Explosion: Homes Destroyed in Ohio Inferno

This happened Wednesday, November 16, 2011.

Joe Pool Lake Dam Exclusion Zones 1 and 2 (Labels and Color Added for Emphasis)

The full story is here.  It appears that a portion of XTO's Luminant Site (Dallas, TX) (Well 4H) is within USACE's Exclusion Zone 2.

Link to Joe Pool Lake Dam Exclusion Zone 2 Map

Dam. Again. **Important Update**

We have just discovered something crazy.   So, you may ask, what else is new??

The Background: 2010

Chesapeake's Corn Valley Pad Site was administratively permitted by the City of Grand Prairie in the summer of 2010 with very little fanfare ~ even though it was clearly within the 3,000 foot Zone of Exclusion ~ as  defined by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) ~ with their (click on the link) 1996 publication:  Texas Resource Management Plan and Record of Decision.  This publication defines the Rules going forward for oil and gas drilling activity near the dams and lakes under United States Army Corps of Engineers' jurisdiction.

Two Years Earlier: 2008

On July 15, 2008, Shale gas operator XTO said the following to Grand Prairie, TX City Council (during a Public Hearing about XTO's Lynn Unit):

"...The Corps of Engineers is aware of this activity based on an agreement with the Bureau of Land Management on this property."

~ Walter Dueease, XTO, July 15, 2008

  
So, as it turns out, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is actually a "Lessor" of XTO's Lynn Unit (located just to the west of the Corn Valley Pad Site and to the northwest of the Joe Pool Lake Dam) ~ with 43+acres of land! The statement in the Minutes of this meeting (Pages 8-10) did not make that fact clear at all.

Unfortunately, this information had escaped us until now.  (A City without a Specific Use Permit for shale gas drilling or Public Hearings via P&Z is a City headed to Shale Gas He**...)  But let us not digress...

The United States of America owns land within the Lynn Unit and signed a mineral lease with XTO sometime in 2007 or early 2008. Three wells appear to be completed and/or in production at this time.  A total of 5 have been permitted as far as we can tell.

The Deal

Here's the deal. The Bureau of Land Management violated its own Rules when it leased those 43+ acres for shale gas drilling.

It all got rolling when the Grand Prairie, TX City Council approved the setback variance for the Lynn Unit during that July 15, 2008 Public Hearing after Walter Dueease with XTO assured the Council that all was well (Link to the July 15, 2008 GP City Council Meeting, Pages 8-10). 

Apparently, neither any Bureau of Land Management personnel or US Army Corps of Engineer personnel were present or spoke during that City Council Public Hearing.  The City Council Minutes reflect only that Mr. Dueease told the Council that USACE was aware of this pad site since the BLM had land there...but there was never any discussion or mention of the Exclusion Zone or that the BLM was a "lessor," for this Unit. 

And now, because of those actions, thousands of people's lives are in peril if there were to be a catastrophic failure of the Joe Pool Lake Dam. Thank you, Commander Muraski of the Fort Worth District of USACE, for your warning.

Our country needs to get its sh** together.

Texas Railroad Commission/XTO PLAT of the area near XTO's Lynn Unit.

The Lynn Unit Plat

(Above) The Lynn Unit Plat (showing the 5 largest lessors).

The Industry Standard P-12 Certificate of Pooling Authority (provides the list of lessors in the "pooled" unit).

(Above) A Service List for a Rule 37 (used when property owners have not signed a lease and the industry needs them)...that's very curious. (**Update 9.26.12: Curious only since the BLM is clearly showing on the P-12 above and this "Certificate of Service" is provided to the Railroad Commission to "prove" that unleased property owners have been notified.)

(Above) The Grand Prairie, TX Shale Gas Drilling Status Report for September 7, 2011.  It shows all activity from the beginning for every well including city permit dates, drilling dates, fracking dates and dates for sales from specific sites.

Larger view of the Grand Prairie, TX Shale Gas Status Report (above) showing July 15, 2008 as the date that the Lynn Unit was voted on by City Council. It also shows that Wells 1H, 2H and 3H are "completed" and were/are "in production."

So, why did the BLM violate its own rules?  Can we possibly say this?

"The BLM looks at it more as a business-driven process," Otto said. "It's not like I have Vice President Cheney calling me up and saying you need to get this done. But there definitely is that unspoken pressure…mostly from the companies, to develop their resources as they'd like to see fit…to get things done and get them done pretty fast." [emphasis added.]

Also, as of March 17, 2011, there's a new document. We're just not clear why this was necessary, since they "reference" the 1996 document right there on Page 1:

Department of the Army, Southwestern Division, Corps of Engineers, District Policy, Pamphlet No. 1110-2-1156, March 17, 2011

We told ya this was crazy. 

**IMPORTANT UPDATE**:   Below is the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Map depicting the Exclusion Zone. This map and additional documents were provided to the City of Grand Prairie, TX during meetings with USACE in early 2011. Documents were received on August 3, 2011 via FOI Request  by the Westchester-Grand Prairie Community Alliance and were important to this report.  

Important Note: Color Emphasis and Labels were added to this Black and White Map for clarity.



Link to Further Information about Exclusion Zone 2 ~ Another XTO Site and A New Blog Post on the Westchester Gasette

Dear John

CBS11 did another story on the Joe Pool Lake Dam this week. Good news? Not exactly.

Link to Story and Video

One of the commenters had a question for another commenter: "Out of curiosity, exactly why do you think Chesapeake is the “Big Rat”?"  We will attempt to answer that question here.

Dear John,

Chesapeake is conducting drilling activities 850 feet from a Corps of Engineers Dam. They notified the Corps via a FORM Letter that sounded like a promo for shale gas drilling and was not addressed to the appropriate chain of command. It wasn't addressed to anyone. It very likely ended up in the trash. Glad you are curious, John. I think it lowers your own "rat rating."

There is an established 3,000 foot Exclusion Zone for oil and gas drilling activities near Corps of Engineer-controlled dams and lakes and it has been on the books since the mid-1990s. This zone is not arbitrary, but was established by Engineers for the safety and protection of all of us. Here it is, John: Link to Bureau of Land Management TX Resource Management Plan (Page 28)

Even the possibility of a Dam Failure should prevent any responsible O&G company from drilling and fracking in that zone. Don't you think that's reasonable? There are thousands of people within this particular Zone, as well. They may not be "drilling" under the dam, John, but the drilling and fracking is within that Exclusion Zone.

4 more horizontal wells are planned to be drilled and fracked from the Padsite and to the North, East and West. They are not all headed Northwest. As you know, this process of hydrofracking horizontal wells with water, sand and chemicals has only been conducted in the Barnett Shale for a few short years. It's ridiculous to conclude (as apparently Chesapeake has) that there should be some kind of "let's see how it goes philosophy" about this issue and when so many lives can be potentially affected.

So, is Chesapeake a "Big Rat,"?? Maybe. Who knows? They have certainly shown tendencies here, here, here, here and here.

Click Here to Go Over to Bluedaze. TXSharon has weighed in on this, too. It's just such a curious story.

Drought Nightmare

Chesapeake's Equipment Enters the Pad Site
August 3, 2011

With the Ground "Watered Down," 

the Pad Site (850 feet from the 

Joe Pool Lake Dam and Spillway)  is prepped

for More Drilling and More Fracking

Water Tanker Truck Leaving the Pad Site

The Grand Prairie, TX Mandatory Water Restrictions Began on Wednesday, August 3, 2011. 

Chesapeake must not have read the notice??$$

We continue to worry about all our neighbors in the southernmost parts of Grand Prairie, TX ~ especially those living closest to the Dam and Pad Site (500 feet for our neighbors on Donnie Lane who have never signed fossil fuel leases even though they OWN their minerals)!

Earthquakes reported to our south and to our north.  4 More Wells Scheduled for Drilling and Fracking at this Site.  The ground cracking and shriveling up  from the drought. 

It's a recipe for all kinds of catastrophic possibilities. 

Pray for us, please.  Thank you.**

###

**Click Here for details about the Grand Prairie, TX Drought Contingency Plan (2009)

Draining the FRAC Pond Without Testing the Water = Really BAD Neighbor

Chesapeake's Monster FRAC Pond

10 Feet From the Back Yards of Westchester Neighbors 

Who Have Not Signed Leases

It Became a GUSHER in December after Chesapeake Finally Moved it 150 Feet South Because They Try So Hard to Be Good Neighbors

And Now It's Being Drained Because 

It Sprang a Leak (After the January Frac Job)

So, Chesapeake is draining the FRAC Pond 500 feet from Westchester Homeowners on Donnie Lane and on the Property of the LessorWestchester Community Church
aka "The Crossing" (We've been told that church services will be conducted near this very spot this summer.)

It's a FRAC Pond Gullywasher

Corn Valley Pad Site Emergency Signage

And Some Nicely Packaged Bags of Stuff for 

Shoring Up the Leaking FRAC Pond

We're sure this guy will be back, too. 

He's responsible for more human deaths than any other living creature.

He's BIG. He absolutely adores his FRAC Pond.
He's bitten everybody twice.
He Just Wants to be Our Neighbor.

The Smell of Something Strange and Unusual

It's on the way.   Our neighbors within 537 feet of the Corn Valley Pad Site at 210 West Camp Wisdom (between Robinson Road and Carrier Parkway) report that a Pipe is Going Up for the Corn Valley Well 1H Flare. 

Just yesterday authorities (including the Fire Department, Atmos Energy and the Environmental Services Department) were called when unusual odors were reported coming from the site. This is a very uncomfortable situation for all our neighbors who live so close and must endure this industrial burn-off of shale gas from a gas well..

Interesting that the gas company (Atmos) employee expressed surprise at how close this upcoming FLARE will be to a residential neighborhood. I mean, after all, they are all about gas leaks.  This is some kind of LEAK.

Reminder:  It's Chesapeake.

Update:  We called the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.  They are on the way to the site right now.

Stay tuned...we certainly are.

Remember May 2009?

Remember the extraordinarily large fireball FLAME at Robinson Road and Interstate 20 (near Carrier Parkway) that could be seen for miles and miles and for hours and hours...and caused a great deal of concern and anxiety for citizens, well, we're about to see the same thing even CLOSER to Westchester and our residential neighborhoods!

210 West Camp Wisdom Road ~ Corn Valley's 1st Well which sits 537 Feet from Westchester Valley neighbors (who have not signed leases) is scheduled to be FLARED by Chesapeake very shortly...developing story.

Thank You, Brett Shipp.

Link to the Story.

GREED. Play to the greed! It's all about the money. And that's really funny, since the average royalty payments over to our West are coming in at around $35 per month for the average resident. If at all. Ask Gary Hogan with the North Central Texas Communities Alliance. He'll be at City Hall tomorrow night. Just ask him what his royalty payments are over in the "heart" of the Barnett Shale.

Is $35 a month worth the loss of your property value, your health and the transformation of Grand Prairie residential communities into shale gas drilling industrial zones? It's already happening. Just ask your neighbors in Trailwood. Better yet, drive over to see it for yourself. Matthew Road between Bardin and Polo. You can't miss the industrial zone that used to be a cow pasture. It's so sad what they've done over there.

Come on down to the City Council Meeting at 6:30 PM. Be early if you can. We hear that Grand Prairie large landowners will be there to defend Chesapeake. We wonder if that will include our own City Councilman?? And be prepared to stay late. It should be very interesting. 

Come on down. Talk to the "small" group of Grand Prairie residents who have spent the last 7 months learning all they can about this shale gas drilling campaign in Grand Prairie, TX.  

Room with a View: Flashback!

CHESAPEAKE PRISON
Gotta love the barbed wire. Very nice touch, Chesapeake! 

Update: This Monster FRAC Pond was plowed up (*cough* *cough*) and moved a few feet south just two weeks ago and now sits 150 feet from the backyards of Westchester Valley neighbors: neighbors who have NOT signed mineral leases. It had been measured at just 10 feet from our neighbors' backyards when this picture was taken on September 16, 2010 ~ I guess everything is all better, now.

Seems to us that even if you don't sign a MINERAL LEASE with Chesapeake, you may just end up with a Monster FRAC Pond in your dining room and/or a Pad Site in your backyard. Because Whatever Chesapeake Wants, Chesapeake Gets. Homeowners Beware!!

Dam.

Joe Pool Lake Dam and Spillway Less than 850 Feet from the Corn Valley Pad Site 210 West Camp Wisdom Road
Grand Prairie, TX

About the Moratorium

The wording of the Moratorium on the City's Web site:

Moratorium on Acceptance of gas well Permit Applications.

~ Grand Prairie, Texas City Council

November 18, 2010

The Corn Valley Pad Site already has 5 wells "permitted" by the Texas Railroad Commission. And they have also been approved by the Grand Prairie, TX Environmental Services Department ~ according to the GP Gas Drilling Spreadsheet, Scroll Down to Page 4, Item 3, (last updated 11.16.10).

So, the Grand Prairie, Texas 6-Month Moratorium will not have any effect on those wells. In addition, the 6-Month Moratorium will not have any effect on other wells already "permitted" and approved by the City through Environmental Services for drilling and then fracking.  That includes wells near the Trailwood neighborhood including Barnes Assembly A and West Carpo.  There are a lot of wells unaffected by the specifics of this Moratorium that will continue business-as-usual under the current Gas Drilling Ordinance.

 (Above) Corn Valley Pad Site (5 Wells Currently Permitted) ~Well 1H Drilled on Halloween~
Grand Prairie, TX
Note the close proximity to the dam. It's been measured at less than 2,000 850 feet.   Of course compared to Fort Worth near I35, Arlington near 360 and Mansfield (Below)...
Good Lord, this is truly a Nightmare of Epic Proportions. 

And then (below), in our very own air and water space, there's Joe Pool Lake. How did this happen? Why did it happen? Drilling in a lake?? All the red circles on the maps represent wells in production...the black lines and blue circles represent "permitted" well bores that may have been drilled, too.

 Joe Pool Lake, Grand Prairie, TXAnd Now We Get a Moratorium???Seriously.  Who Has Been Minding this Store???

Home for the Holidays

Happy Thanksgiving Y'All!

 Westchester Valley Neighborhood, Grand Prairie, TX November 23, 2010

Yes.  It's a "No Drilling" Sign in the front yard.  How 'bout that? You see, these Westchester homeowners actually "own" the minerals beneath their homes, but neither of these homeowners agreed to lease their minerals.  Still, they have a 3.5 million gallon FRAC Pond 4 yards from their back fences and a Pad Site 537 feet from their back yards. The drill has been grinding and screeching now for 3 weeks while toxic fumes have been spewing out into the once clean air.  All of this just so happens to sit across the street from a segment of the Joe Pool Lake Dam! 

 

Corn Valley Pad Site, 210 W. Camp Wisdom Road Grand Prairie, TX, November 2010

On this day of Thanksgiving, we are reminded that shale gas drilling is  what Chesapeake's CEO Aubrey McClendon really wants for America. It's what the City of Grand Prairie wants for America. It's what Boone Pickens really, really wants for America. But at what price do we continue along this course? 

Corn Valley Rig & FRAC Pond, Westchester Valley
Grand Prairie, TX, November 2010

We count our blessings today.  And pray for all of our neighbors across the region who are now suffering because of this shale gas drilling campaign.  Amen.

Southern Entrance to Westchester

Home to Chesapeake's Corn Valley Pad Site210 West Camp Wisdom RoadGrand Prairie, Texas 75052
Westchester Church Offers Us a Stern Warning

"WC owns 17 acres in south Grand Prairie, and continues to seek God’s leading and timing in how we can use that property to glorify Him.

Our focus remains constant...to forcefully advance God’s kingdom, and to invite people to discover, develop, and display genuine devotion to Jesus Christ."

So, this is what Westchester Church believes God wants for us? Maybe there is some kind of breakdown in communication! Yes. That must be it.

Important Update (11.12.10): Looks as if Westchester Church has changed its Web site and the message about their property?? And their name (again)!?

Another Update (12.18.11): Yet another name change.  And it looks as if they've moved to New York??? {{Very Weird.}} 

It looks more and more like a Chesapeake-inspired congregation.  Amen. Grand Prairie, TX's Westchester Church.  Here's the link to the map right below their office address on Polo Road.

Westchester Church meets weekly for Life Celebration. Life Celebration takes place at 6:30 PM on Sunday. We currently meet in the Community Opportunity Center, 105 Wildey Street, Tarrytown, NY. Parking is available in the Salvation Army parking lot.

Because of our continued growth, we are currently looking for a permanent property to call home. This web site will be updated when our location changes.

The Closest Residential Frac Pond in the Barnett Shale

So, Chesapeake must be mighty proud of their work-in-progress handiwork rammed up against our beautiful neighborhood. But Oops! Not only did the City of Grand Prairie fail to tell anyone about this lovely "pond," but they forgot to officially notify the Westchester Association of Homeowners (2,295 homes) about this High Impact Gas Well Permit now known as the Corn Valley Pad Site.

According to the Grand Prairie Gas Drilling Ordinance, it's a requirement.

Page 11

Sec. 13-507. High impact gas well permit.

(a) High impact gas well permit shall be required if the proposed well is to be located within six hundred (600) feet of a protected use for which a building permit has been issued on the date the application for a permit is filed. Notice shall be sent to all registered neighborhood associations within one-half (1/2) mile of the proposed drill site. [emphasis added.]

What? No mention of how close all other gas drilling pad site activities may be? And no mention of Frac Ponds?? Oops! Again. What was our City thinking??

(And why does the Grand Prairie Gas Drilling Ordinance refer only to a "well," when in fact, most of these drilling operations involve "multiple wells," on Pad Sites?)

Alright. So, if you are confused and don't have any idea what any of this means, Join the Club!! It's free.

In the meantime, we would like to suggest naming this monstrosity the "Chesapeake Frac Bowl." It's not exactly like the Grand Prairie Football Stadium in North Grand Prairie known far and wide as the "Gopher Bowl," and we think gophers and other rodents might eventually drown in it, but hey, a bowl's a bowl. And this one is HUGE!! Yay, Team!


Day 1 ~ August 25, 2010



Day 2 ~ August 26, 2010


Still Day 2. Wow. That Didn't Take Long.