Carlsbad, New Mexico: Oil patch produced water line bursts, sprays family, animals, home and road with potentially radioactive toxic fluids

Water pipeline explosion from oil, gas operation leaves Carlsbad family seeking answers, Produced water leak reported in Carlsbad by Adrian Hedden, Jan 21, 2020, Carlsbad Current-Argus

Carl George said he awoke to an explosion just feet from his house at 2:30 a.m. Tuesday in the 6200 block of South Thomason Road after a produced water line burst and sprayed his home with potentially dangerous fluids.

“We heard like a pop sound,” George said.

“When I came out, there was a plume of stuff coming up. It spewed up over the road, an on all of us and the animals.”

His animals – several chickens, dogs and a goat – were also covered in the fluid and workers from the line’s owner WPX Energy were on scene within hours to begin the remediation process.

Produced water is fluid leftover from hydraulic fracturing and other oil and gas extraction operations.

It can contain dangerous chemicals and heavy metals toxic to humans.

They removed contaminated soil, cleaned the house and animals, and remained on scene by about 11:30 a.m.

Kelly Swan, public information officer for WPX said the leak resulted from an “incident” at a WPX job location, but he was unsure how much fluid leaked and the exact cause of the incident.

“We had an incident at our location,” Swan said. “We’re simply trying to do the right thing and get everything repaired and cleaned up quickly. We certainly want to do right by our neighbors.”

Swan said George was the only homeowner who had complained about the leak, and local staff were working with local responders to address the problem.

“You never want anything like this to happen, but when it does, you try to work as quickly as possible to make it right,” he said. “We do want to apologize to the homeowners.”

But although he admitted WPX staff worked closely with him and his family, George said similar incidents are becoming all too common in his neighborhood south of Carlsbad where oil and gas production boomed in recent years.

“We were able to call them and get them out here to fix the issues. It’s unfortunate, but they’re working to fix it.” he said.

“It’s just rough. I don’t know how safe any of us are out here.”

George said the formerly quiet, rural community where he lives with his wife and kids recently became surrounded by tank batteries, flare stacks and drilling rigs as operations grew.

He said he was unsure how long he could stay at the home.

“At one point, I had 27 flares around me. It’s all around. There’s not enough oversight,” George said. “I’m not comfortable with it. I think I have to leave, and it’s just finding the way to do it. That’s the problem.” [A much bigger problem is where to move to.]

Refer also to:

America’s Radioactive Secret: Oil & gas wells produce nearly a trillion gallons of toxic waste a year in America. It could be making workers sick and contaminating communities (in Canada too). “Us bringing this stuff to the surface is like letting out the devil … It is just madness.”

Two workers, aged 23 & 26, hospitalized with head injuries after being struck by high pressure water line that blew off truck at West Virgina, Marshall County well pad 

Shell Canada, Fox Creek Alberta: 47 year old worker killed by water hose in AER’s Blanket Approval, “Brute Force & Ignorant” Frac Frenzy Pilot Project

Jack Shawn Eyles, 28, from Kelowna, dies fracking in NE BC for Calfrac (Nitrogen Pumping Division) on Progress Energy Canada Ltd. Site: “Not an explosion as we usually think, but an explosive or sudden release of extremely high pressure”

Oklahoma: Red Mountain Energy rig explosion kills Josh Ray, 35; Cody Risk, 26; Parker Waldridge, 60; Roger Cunningham, 55; and Matt Smith, 29; One other worker hospitalized; Company not sure what they were drilling for; Patterson-UTI has long history of fatal accidents

Perfectly Safe, “Brute Force & Ignorant” Fracking Experiment Kills Again: 1 dead, another injured during fracking at Devon Energy oil field in Blaine County

They didn’t call it fracking when a young man died

Fracking by Karve Energy Inc. at Consort Alberta killed Charles Oba, Calgary father of two; Family demands answers. Police not releasing name of the victim. Will Karve Energy blame Charles?

“My son was murdered” Drilling through Danger Chapter One: Regulatory vacuum compounds inherent risks; In 12-year span, an oil and gas worker died once every three months on average in Colorado, 51 workers died between 2003-14, victims of a system focused more on protecting industry than its employees

Frac water lines in Alberta and BC, photos by Will Koop, BC Tap Water Alliance:

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