LABC Gas Well Incident City Council Report

LABC Gas Well Incident City Council Report

LABC Pad Site 3016 Little Road

LABC Incident Timeline: 1:00 pm fracking mandrel begins leaking and operator begins well control operations and internal notifications 1:55 pm Vantage contacts CD&P Gas Well Coordinator instructed to inform FD 2:55 pm Vantage Environmental Health and Safety contacts Arlington 9-1-1

LABC Incident Timeline: 2:55 pm Fire Department emergency response includes closest Fire Station #7, two command units and Gas Well Response Team from #9. 3:03 pm Engine 7 arrives and begins incident management

Response Priorities: Life Safety measures for site workers, local community, and responders Accountability, site safety planning, rescue teams Hazard and Risk Management Explosives, Hazmat, fire prevention

Response Priorities: Unified command and control with Police and Well Operator Developed collaborative action plan for neighborhood integrity Traffic control Initial isolation in place Evacuation of potentially threatened area

Response Priorities: Regain control of the well Contain fluid and mitigate flow off site Begin investigation and recovery measures Community support during crisis and consequence phases Public Information and support Shelters Home security

LABC Incident Report

Challenges: Saturday, April 11 Frac fluid flow back from the well could not be contained on site by the operator The actual location of the leak could not be determined (below grade) Resources for control measures had to be brought in from regional locations Fluid capture began at ~2:15 pm by operator FD storm water mitigation began at ~3:30 pm

Challenges: Saturday, April 11 Responders and Operator lacked the ability to predict when natural gas or other hazards would appear from the well Analytics estimated gas arrival time from 0-24 hours into the future Unified Command agreed to work the problem to avoid a gas environment

Challenges: Saturday, April 11 The leak and flow back problem was persistent despite three attempts to stop the leak 1 st at approximately 1:30 pm 2 nd at 9:00 pm 3 rd at 2:00 am by Boots & Coots (Sunday morning)

Evacuation 4/11/15

Response: Sunday, April 12 4:00 am to 8:00 am all non essential work onsite was halted. Operator and Fire maintained safety and control of the incident 8:00 am 4 th attempt with new equipment and resources began Nature of operation led to an expanded evacuation area and joint Fire, Operator and Well Control Contractor operations

Release Stopped Sunday 1:25 pm 4 th attempt begins- plan was to remove well head components, replace parts and shut in well 2:04 pm an internal shut off valve is accessed and utilized without total head replacement 3:15 pm a new 5,000 psi well head in place Well under control

LABC Video

Cause: Failed Fracking Mandrel

Cause: Failed Fracking Mandrel

Outcome: No loss of life or property No type of natural or toxic gas release Neighborhood evacuated as a safety precaution Unauthorized discharge into the storm water system Up to 42,815 gallons of fluid released offsite Frac fluid, air, and soil testing conducted by City and investigated by TCEQ and EPA

Outcome: Fire Department and TCEQ tested air and water during incident and found no immediately dangerous material release Railroad Commission responded, investigated and has now closed the case (#09-949B) Arlington Environmental, TCEQ and EPA tested water and soil samples and found pollutant material below levels that will require further remediation

Outcome: Vantage Energy was cooperative during the response and investigation. Vantage took steps to remediate the site, provided thirdparty testing of failed equipment, and made operational changes to avoid a similar occurrence in the future.

Issues Identified: Delayed notification of 9-1-1 Drilling component failure Release of materials into the storm water system Life, Property, Environment Citations Issued Cost Recovery: $82,703.00

Definition of an Emergency The Arlington Fire Chief is directing all gas well operators within the City of Arlington to immediately contact the Arlington 9-1-1 emergency call center and report any emergency that they discover or become aware of on their pad sites. Types of emergencies include but are not limited to the following: An un-planned, unexpected, or uncontrolled release of natural gas, chemical, pollutant, waste, fluid or solid matter that may harm humans or the environment Any need for emergency medical services Any need for fire protection or rescue services Any potential flow of gas well operations fluid or material into the storm water system Any potential threat to life, property or the environment

Moving Forward Fire Department Site Safety Inspection and final review of technical reports with Vantage If compliant Authorize return to normal operations Notify the public

Questions