Controversy in the water at Cresson home addition

Galen Scott

gscott@weatherforddemocrat.com

Water is becoming a volatile issue in the East Parker County community of Bourland Field Estates.

Residents of the luxury, fly-in community of about 25 homes have complained for years their water has an unpleasant taste and smell. Now, compounds consistent with petroleum and natural gas have been found in the well which supplies the entire system.

If not properly ventilated, state officials warn the system’s water storage tank could trigger an explosion.

During analysis of water samples collected in April, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) detected butane, pentane and isobutane.

Isobutane is used in cigarette lighters, camp stoves and as a propellant in some hair sprays.

A letter dated June 2 informed system operators of the situation.

TCEQ spokesperson Andrea Morrow said the letter was sent to warn about the small risk of explosion that could occur if someone were welding on a large water tank. She said none of the levels indicate risk to public health.

“The concern is only with this very specific instance of welding on a tank where gases could be trapped,” she said.

Morrow said the chemical compounds found in Bourland Field Estates’ well could either be naturally occurring or a contaminant. Because the levels are not considered dangerous, TCEQ determined no further action is required.

The source of the contamination is unknown.

A Cresson city official recently contacted Parker County environmental officers regarding a dump site near Bourland Field. However, the nature of the dump and its proximity to the water supply were unavailable Wednesday.

Water quality is not a new issue at Bourland Field.

John Whitehead, whose home has the first meter connected on the system, refuses to drink the water, though he said he has no choice but to shower in it. He said most other homeowners don’t drink the water either, noting most homes are equipped with reverse osmosis filtration systems.

“It tastes pretty bad,” he said. “I just don’t drink it. I don’t even have my dog drink it.”

System operators were compelled to address water quality concerns publicly in April.

A letter from Bourland Field Estates’ system manager Lee Caswell claimed no indication that disease-causing bacteria exists in the system and blamed the “rotten egg” taste and smell of the water on hydrogen sulfide, citing studies which suggest sulfur in drinking water usually does not pose a health risk.

Caswell, president of One Source Water Management on Bethel Road, did not respond to a request for an interview with The Weatherford Democrat.

Bourland Field Estates Water Supply owner Richard Bourland agreed TCEQ’s warning about a potential explosion is “scary looking,” but emphasized his system is within the state’s drinking water standards.

“If the water is OK, why would the neighbors use up cabinet space to build these reverse osmosis things?” asked Whitehead. “If it meets state standards then the state standards stink.”

Bourland said he drinks three or four glasses of water from the system each day.

“I think it’s quite good,” he said. “Is it perfect? No. I don’t think anything is perfect. But I know this. All this hubbub seems to have happened when I asked for a rate increase, which wasn’t really my idea to start with.”

Bourland said he received a letter from Cresson Mayor Bob Cornett last fall directing him to raise his water rates to match those charged by Cresson.

The city has control over rates charged by private water companies operating within the city limits, which includes Bourland Field Estates and two other companies, according to Cresson Mayor Bob Cornett.

Cornett said residents are telling him they don’t mind a rate increase, but insist their water quality should improve first. Cornett believes high sulfur content reported in area water wells can be traced back to contamination from oil and gas wells drilled decades ago.

Though he did not specifically relate his comments to the situation at Bourland Field, Cornett mentioned a number of different techniques which can be used to decrease sulfur content in a public water system’s storage tank.

“It’s not my problem; I sort of ended up as the middle man on this thing,” Cornett said. “The owner wants a rate increase, which he is entitled to. It fits all the guidelines and everything. And the people say, we don’t mind a rate increase, but we want better water. So, what I’m trying to do as middle man is see what we can do to fix the water deal, so we get better water and he can have his rate increase.”

Without action, the sulfur problem is expected to worsen as summer progresses.

System operators anticipate the supply well’s production will double during summer months, reaching an average of 30,000 to 50,000 gallons per day, which means chlorine used to mask the hydrogen sulfide will have less time to take effect.

“The water in Parker County is tough no matter how you slice it,” Bourland said.