Drilling site on a national seashore required extra environmental precautions
- Bright and Co., San Antonio, TX (United States)
The comprehensive planning required for a well drilled on a national seashore resulted in a trouble-free operation that minimized effects on a very sensitive environmental area. The procedure for obtaining approval from the National Park Service for this exploration well was very detailed and time consuming. Bright and Co., San Antonio, drilled the Dunn-McCampbell No. 1 on the Padre Island National Seashore in Kleberg County in South Texas earlier this year. Although the federal government owns all surface lands in the National Seashore, the majority of the subsurface oil and gas rights are owned by the Dunn-McCampbell heirs. Development of the private oil and gas rights may occur in the National Seashore area as long as operators comply with National Park Service regulations of Title 36, Code of federal Regulations Part 9, Subpart B. Precautions to contain and collect any discharge of liquids were required because Padre Island has a shallow freshwater aquifer approximately 4 ft below the ground surface. The water from the aquifer collects in shallow ponds on the island and is the main source of drinking water for wildlife there. Therefore, the National Park Service requires groundwater monitoring wells at the production facility site to determine if any contaminants enter the groundwater.
- OSTI ID:
- 122661
- Journal Information:
- Oil and Gas Journal, Vol. 93, Issue 45; Other Information: PBD: 6 Nov 1995
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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