Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Energy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council approves five-well pad near landfill; company outlines H2S monitors, sound walls and contingency plan
Summary
The Pecos City Council approved five drilling permits for a five-well pad sited roughly one mile south of Highway 17 near the city landfill. Company representatives described hydrogen sulfide monitoring, sound-wall placement, simultaneous rig operations, and a planned drilling/completion schedule.
The Pecos City Council on April 10 approved five drilling permits submitted by Civitas/Compass Permian Operating LLC for a single five-well pad located about one mile south of Highway 17, just south of the city landfill.
City staff introduced the item and the drilling team described safety and mitigation measures including H2S monitoring, contingency procedures and temporary sound walls intended to reduce noise impacts on landfill staff and neighbors.
Why it matters: the site is inside recently annexed city limits and lies near the landfill office and Highway 17. City officials and residents raised questions about hydrogen sulfide (H2S) exposure, noise and distance to the nearest structure.
Joe Martin, a Civitas representative, told the council the pad will be laid out as one large pad with three wells on the west side and two on the east. He said sound walls would be placed on the north and west sides of the pad to shield the landfill office and that the company chose not to enclose the southern side so prevailing southerly winds would keep any gas away from workers. “We have H2S monitors on location,” Martin said, adding that workers will wear personal monitors and the company has a contingency plan for any H2S events.
James Wilhoood, the company’s lead drilling superintendent, described the pad geometry and safety precautions, including flaring or bull-heading gas back into the formation and raising mud weight if gas is encountered. He told the council the drilling phase is the period when H2S exposure is most likely and that sound walls provide the greatest benefit during the completion phase.
Company timeline and operations: the presenter said the first rig is scheduled to spud the first well on May 14 and the second rig on June 20, with both rigs expected to move off the site in late July (presenter cited a planned move-out around July 27). The company said rigs will be operated simultaneously and that the sound walls would be left in place through completions and initial flowback.
Council action: Councilman Graham moved to approve the five drilling permit applications; Councilman Arona seconded. The motion passed on a voice vote with no recorded roll-call; the council recorded the motion as carried.
Ending: The company said it will continue monitoring and follow its contingency plan if H2S is detected. The council approved the permits and did not place additional local conditions on the drilling permits at the April 10 meeting.
