A leaking oil well has left some San Antonio residents reluctant to spend time outside their homes. Neighbors say lingering gas fumes have persisted despite four attempts to re-plug it.
The smell has spread beyond their yards and into their homes. Residents worry about the effects on their families' health.
Here's what to know
Methane and hydrogen sulfide are escaping from a well first plugged in 2006, according to News 4 San Antonio. The well is in southwestern San Antonio's Preserve at Medina neighborhood, near Highway 16.
Crystal Morales, whose sister lives down the street from the well, described how the fumes have affected nearby homes: "You're just breathing it in sometimes. The smell goes in the house too, like through the cracks and stuff."
Homeowner William Helsel said the neighborhood's front office never told residents about the problem. He and other residents said no one told them about the leak before they moved in.
"The front office has never notified us or told us about anything," he said.
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Helsel said even using his own front yard has become difficult because of the fumes. He has a son and a newborn baby.
More background
The concentration of hydrogen sulfide determines the risk from exposure, said Dr. Alan Siqueiros, who leads the medical ICU at Christus Westover Hills.
"Hydrogen sulfide is highly toxic and it all depends on the concentration."
Siqueiros said the neurological toll can include memory problems and mood swings in people exposed to higher levels over time. He added that low concentrations tend to trigger milder symptoms: headaches, nausea, dizziness, coughing, and irritation.
Helsel said the well could make it hard to sell his home, and his family is considering leaving the neighborhood.
Bexar County Public Works crews were also photographing oil along nearby streets and sidewalks.
Leaks like this one remind us of the toll the oil, gas, and coal industry can take on nearby communities. Coal and gas power plants contribute to air and water pollution linked to asthma, heart disease, cancer, and premature death, and they tend to keep energy costs high for households that rely on these fuel sources instead of more abundant ones like sunlight and wind. Industry lobbying also slows the shift to cleaner, cheaper energy that could ease both the health risks and the cost burden.
What's being done?
The Texas Railroad Commission, which oversees the well, has sent its plugging team to re-plug it four times, according to News 4 San Antonio.
The commission's team continues tracking gas levels in the area and plans to send additional teams to investigate. According to the outlet, regulators do not see any immediate danger to residents' health or safety.
Morales remains concerned about continued exposure. "This could be potentially bad for our health, but yeah, nothing's being done about it," he lamented.
Where can I learn more?
Residents elsewhere are concerned about leaking wells and oil and gas pollution.
• Texas lawmakers questioned the Railroad Commission as 160,000 inactive wells risk becoming orphaned.
• Across the United States, millions of abandoned oil wells may leak methane and toxic waste.
• A former landfill methane monitor says fossil fuel methane leaks are worse than reported.
• In New Mexico, Permian oilfield activity has been linked to radioactive plumes and ozone.
• Colorado residents are fighting Verdad's 22-well plan in Weld County over clean-air concerns.
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