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Jul 30, 2008 10:22 pm US/Central
Gas Drilling Too Noisy For Some In Johnson County
MANSFIELD (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
It's called "Big Daddy." To neighbors who live near it, it's a big deal.
"I wish it would shut up," said neighbor Skip Bryant.
"Big Daddy" is EOG Resources' big compressor station that sits just south of Mansfield in Johnson County. It's about the size of a small grocery store with four 20-foot tall turbine engines inside.
The compressor station is necessary for EOG to extract natural gas from the ground as part of its drilling operations in the Barnett Shale. When CBS 11 News was on site, only the large fans inside the compressors were running. Although it was loud, neighbors say it's nothing compared to when the engines fire up.
"When I first moved out here, it was quiet," said Bryant. "Now I feel I'm living next to an airport. It's a constant war."
Neighbors say the compressors are at their loudest at night and during weekends, when residents such as Bob Walker like to relax outside.
"Soon as I hear it, I think to myself, well I might as well go back inside," said Walker.
Neighbors have complained in the past, so EOG built walls around the station. However, the energy company put up only 3 walls instead of four and a roof. Neighbors say as long as "Big Daddy" is not fully enclosed, life in the country is not the life they bargained for.
"You never know when it's going to turn on," said Debora Garza. "I can hear it throughout the house, and at times it has woken me up at night. It's impossible to get any peace and quiet."
EOG Resources released the following statement:
"EOG Resources is concerned about its neighbors in the communities where we operate. We address operation site on a case by case basis to minimize the impact on our neighbors."
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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