TX Approves Center For Recycling Toxic Fracking Wastewater 500 Feet From Baptist Summer Camp

Circle 6 Baptist Camp, bottom, and produced water ponds, constructed by Martin Water, top, in Lenorah on Feb. 24, 2024. The Railroad Commission approved the construction of the ponds, used to treat and recycle produced water from fracking, next to the Circle 6 Baptist Camp in the Permian Basin. Credit: Julian Mancha for The Texas Tribune/Inside Climate News

Texas regulators recently authorized a company to operate ponds to store and recycle millions of gallons of oilfield wastewater laced with toxic chemicals next to a Baptist summer camp in the Permian Basin. The Richards Recycling Facility will store, treat and recycle produced water, a byproduct of oil and gas drilling, after obtaining a state permit on Jan. 30. Staff and board members at the Circle 6 Baptist Camp worry the facility will jeopardize their well water and expose campers to hazardous air pollution.

“I would be very alarmed if I was working at that Baptist Center,” said Dominic DiGiulio, a geoscientist who retired after a 25-year career at the Environmental Protection Agency and now consults for non-governmental organizations. “It’s a kind of chemical stew that’s going into these ponds.”

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The company says the facility is necessary as drillers seek to reuse the wastewater instead of injecting it underground. Researchers have found that produced water in the Permian Basin contains radionuclides, volatile organic compounds like benzene and extremely high salt content. The open ponds of produced water would be just 500 feet from the children’s camp. The debate highlights gaps in Texas regulations for produced water facilities. Residents living near other produced water ponds have pushed for stronger air quality standards and more protections for groundwater. While produced water ponds have been linked to groundwater contamination in Texas, Pennsylvania and California, regulations in Texas lag behind other states. Facilities automatically receive air quality permits from Texas regulators if they fit certain criteria, though neighbors often complain about harmful air pollutants once pits are operating.

State rules require companies to notify the Railroad Commission before beginning construction on stationary recycling facilities. Martin Water didn’t notify the RRC when construction began. The Railroad Commission still issued Martin Water’s operating permit, even as the agency prepares to adopt stricter rules for oil and gas waste facilities for the first time in decades — the draft rules include setbacks that would require commercial recycling facilities to be at least 1,000 feet from residences.

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https://insideclimatenews.org/news/26022024/railroad-commission-approves-toxic-waste-ponds-next-to-baptist-camp/