Environmentalists and some cities around Dallas are asking the federal government to stop gas drilling under Lewisville Lake, claiming it could create hazardous conditions for the lake dam that is ranked by the government as the nation’s eighth most hazardous.
The Bureau of Land Management plans to auction 259 acres for natural gas leases but residents around the lake fear possible drinking water contamination. They also believe the drilling might trigger earthquakes that could threaten the stability of the dam. The lake is a drinking water source for millions in north Dallas.
The protesters are asking the BLM to remove the property from an April 20 auction to be held in Santa Fe, New Mexico. They also want a new environmental study to be carried out on the gas drilling proposed for the area.
“These direct impacts from oil and gas activities have not been adequately studied and represent an unacceptable level of risk to DWU,” stated Jody Puckett, Director of the Dallas Water Utilities in a letter to the BLM, according to the Associated Press.
Supporters of the project contend there has been gas drilling under Lewisville Lake in the past and there was no sign of drinking water contamination.
“There have been already over a dozen wells drilled, drilled and fracked in the Lake Lewisville area,” said Ed Ireland, executive director of the Barnett Shale Energy Education Council in an interview with the Dallas Morning News. “The proposal is nothing new. Drilling wells around Lake Lewisville has been done before successfully, without problems.”
Some have concerns about the dam at Lewisville Lake, noting that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers stated the dam needs $50 million to $500 million in repairs.
