Kinder Morgan – Permian Highway Pipeline: Well Owner Resources
In an effort to fill the Kinder Morgan Permian Highway Pipeline information gap, The Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District has developed a list of local and county assets and phone numbers that can help affected well owners.
In a recent GIS project conducted by District Geoscientists; the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District found 738 registered water wells that fall within 5-miles of the pipeline’s path.
“We consider those wells to be the most vulnerable to contamination in the event of a construction or transmission accident.” says HTGCD General Manager Charlie Flatten; “Most pipelines operate safely and without incident, but we must take the threat of accidents seriously and be prepared to act.”
Threats to wells from pipeline construction include silt contamination from right-of-way clearing, pipeline boring, trenching, and/or and construction machinery fuel or hydraulic oil spills. Transmission threats include accidental punctures, pipeline joint failures, and operational accidents that may leak and contaminate land and drinking water sources. If the pipeline catches fire or explodes, fire suppression chemicals may be used to extinguish the flames. Those chemicals could infiltrate Hays County’s highly porous geology and contribute to groundwater contamination.
The District will test the water quality of your well if it shows signs of contamination. If your well water is cloudy or its taste or odor changes suddenly, please call the District and they will come inspect your well and take a water sample for testing.
In the event that well owners desire baseline water quality testing, the following Laboratories are equipped to handle an array of water quality tests; some have dedicated staff to do on-site sample gathering.
The Texas Railroad Commission is the regulatory agency in charge of Oil and Gas transmission. The Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District has no authority to regulate pipeline routing or construction, however it is mandated to protect the resource that most of Hays County relies on for clean drinking water. In the interest of public safety, the District has developed an information packet that local well owners may refer in the event of a construction, transmission, or operations accidents.
Please report well contamination to the District at (512) 858-9253. It will notify neighboring registered well owners and ask them to report changes in the quality or quantity of their well water. If you have an unregistered well, please fill out an online registration form on the Forms page of the District‘s website (http://haysgroundwater.com/forms/well-registration-req-exist). And, if you are unsure if your contact information is current, please email the District and staff will update you in its well database – free of charge.
Please report pipeline accidents to the Hays County Sherriff’s Department, the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District, and Kinder Morgan’s Hotline at (866) 762-8442.
The Kinder Morgan Pipeline Company is constructing a large natural gas pipeline from west to east through central Hays County that will convey 2 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day from the Permian Basin to the Houston area. The new pipeline will be buried 15-feet below grade which requires disturbing a wide swath of natural landscape across the county. The pipeline will pass directly over terrain that is highly porous and vulnerable to surface contamination. District geologists have spent 20-years surveying faults and recharge features that can act as direct conduits into the same Trinity Aquifer from which residents may get their drinking water. The Kinder Morgan FAQ Sheet address is https://phpproject.com/faqs/.
IMPORTANT TELEPHONE NUMBERS
PLEASE Call Before You Dig!: 811
Hays County Emergency Services (Fire, Sheriff, Ambulance): 911
Hays County Groundwater Conservation District: (512) 858-9253. Anytime your well has a rapid change in water quality, The District will inspect your well, take a water sample and test for contaminants.
Hays County Natural Resources: (512) 393-2156
Kinder Morgan Pipeline hotline: (866) 762-8442
If you believe that a pipeline leak has occurred, please call this Kinder Morgan Pipeline hotline immediately.
Well Testing Laboratory Contact Information
Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District – HTGCD
Dripping Springs. Tx 78737 512/858.9253
Edwards Aquifer Research and Data Center – EARDC
220 E Sessom Dr, San Marcos, TX 78666 512/787.1582
Lower Colorado River Authority – LCRA
LCRA Environmental Laboratory Services 3505 Montopolis Drive, Austin, TX 78744 512/730.5339
Guadalupe Blanco River Authority – GBRA
GBRA Laboratory Analyses 933 East Court Street, Seguin, TX 78155 830-379-5822
Zara Environmental
1707 West FM 1626, Manchaca, TX 78652 512-291-4555