Gas Well Drilling & Production in Grand Prairie

On September 20, 2005, the City Council adopted Ordinance No. 7287 regulating the drilling and production of gas wells within the City limits and its extraterritorial jurisdiction.  Gas well production has been active in many counties mainly west of the City for some years now in Denton, Tarrant, Johnson, Parker, and Wise counties. 

Natural Gas Reserves in Grand Prairie

A portion of Grand Prairie lies atop a natural gas reserve known as the Barnett Shale formation.  Although this discovery is not new, technology now makes it possible to bring this natural resource to the surface.  The Barnett Shale is a shallow but dense shale formation which allows the gas to scatter over a large area.  Until recently, gas wells were drilled vertically into formations that had heavy pooling in one area.  Now, gas drillers are able to drill horizontally, making 90 degree turns in a few hundred feet.  Horizontal drilling allows them to capture gas without drilling multiple wells. 

The Barnett Shale

The Barnett Shale lies within a 15 county area in North Texas and is believed by geologists to have been created by a large shallow sea over 330 million years ago.  Over millions of years, organic material from sediments, plants, and animals were converted to hydrocarbons or natural gas.  This organic material layer is now 500 feet thick and lies about 1.5 miles below the surface.  The Barnett Shale contains an estimated 26 trillion cubic feet of was within a 15 county area in North Texas.

Drilling for the Natural Gas

All gas wells will be permitted by the City of Grand Prairie, Environmental Services Department to ensure that all local, state, and federal regulations are met by the applicant.  After a well has been permitted, the site will be prepared by bulldozers and other equipment and a drill rig will be set up.  During the drilling operations, expected to last two to three weeks, the drilling crew and security will be on-site 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  The drill rig will be used to drill through solid rock to get to the natural gas reserves about 1.5 miles below the surface.

To improve gas production, a mixture of water and sand is forced into the well to fracture the rock and allow natural gas to flow to the well bore.  This process, called “fracing” takes about one day to complete.

Once the well is drilled, storage tanks, meters, pumps, and other equipment are bought on site and installed.  The area will be cleaned up and fenced.  These wells are expected to be productive for 30 to 50 years.  Occasional “re-fracing” may be needed to maintain the flow of gas from the well.

Environmental Concerns with Gas Well Drilling

Horizontal drilling reduces the affects to the land surface as fewer wells need to be drilled.  In addition, the City requires that applicants use a closed loop system for the spoils of drilling – an oily mud mixture – is used.  A closed loop system means that all the “mud” will be stored in tanks rather than on the ground.  This system dramatically reduces environmental impacts. 

The Gas Well Drilling and Production Ordinance also mandates that the applicant meet noise level requirements by conducting a Noise Abatement Study prior to the drilling.  Noise level requirements have been established based on distances to other structures.  If noise level requirements can not be met, the applicant must use noise abatement materials reduce noise levels to acceptable decibles.

Gas Well Distances

Wells may be drilled at 500 feet or further from a protected use through an administrative process.  In order to reduce that distance (300 - 500 feet), the applicant or driller would have to go to City Council for a variance.  In no case may a well be drilled closer than 300 fee from any residence, religious institution, public building, hospital, schools, or public park.

Inspection of Gas Wells

The city will ensure compliance with regulations through inspections by city staff from Environmental Services, Fire Department, Building Inspections, and Engineering Departments.  In addition, a third party Gas Inspector will be inspecting the site during the initial drilling and once a year or more as necessary after well drilling has commenced.

Obtaining Gas Well Permits in Grand Prairie

Current Map of Permitted and Pending Gas Wells