Arlington, TX

More than 300 people attended a town hall meeting about gas well drilling in Arlington last night. Many support the drilling but want to see better safety precautions taken. Proposed changes to the city’s gas well ordinance include, increasing to 600 feet from 300 feet the setback requirement, requiring a “closed loop” system to reduce the pad area and use bins to collect drilling waste instead of open pits, requiring an upfront fee when drilling companies pay for their permits and applications to cover damage to roads, requiring drillers to use devices to mitigate noise. The City Council will be discussing these changes at their next few meetings.

AISD Superintendent Mac Byrne has made the decision to remove the wood fiber mulch from 35 school playgrounds after a spontaneous combustion fire at Beth Anderson Elementary last Thursday. Fire officials say the fire started after rain soaked mulch began to decompose and produce heat, much like a compost pile can do. The extreme temperatures helped the material to ignite causing the fire which melted the playground equipment. Byrne said the mulch will be removed from the 20 affected schools and replaced with pea gravel. The playgrounds will be closed, and signs posted, until the change takes place.

Arlington, Arlington TX, Gas Well Drilling, Town Hall Meeting, Gas Well Requirements, Spontaneous Combustion fire, School Playground, Beth AndersonElementary, Mac Byrne