After 19 days of uncontrolled discharge, Kinder Morgan announced that a West Texas well that exploded, releasing water and hydrogen sulfide gas, has been sealed. This containment effort near the small town of Toyah, which has 61 residents, marks a development in addressing environmental concerns. According to The Texas Tribune, "workers are no longer detecting emissions of hydrogen sulfide," a noxious and potentially dangerous gas.
The incident began on October 2, when the well, initially drilled in 1961 by El Paso Natural Gas Company—a predecessor to Kinder Morgan—ruptured, causing local firefighters to respond to emergency calls. The Texas Railroad Commission has been tight-lipped about the ownership of the well, but confirmed that Kinder Morgan was managing the situation. Cleanup of the resulting environmental damage is expected to span months, as stated by Reeves County Emergency Management Coordinator Jerry Bullard in an interview with The San Antonio Express-News.
Concerns have surfaced from locals who have experienced the well's effects first-hand. Elida Machuca, a former city council member, reported to the hospital with dizziness attributed to the offending odors. Though she was cleared by her doctor, the incident has led to prolonged anxiety and precautions such as sleeping with a face mask. Another resident, Diana Tolet, took to running the air conditioning in an attempt to diminish the smell. Both residents filed complaints with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), only to be told by investigators that no pollutants were detected—details reported by the TCEQ and shared by The Texas Tribune.
These incidents illustrate larger concerns about orphan wells across Texas—an issue reported by Sarah Stogner, an oil and gas attorney, in The San Antonio Express-News interview. With more than 9,000 such uncapped wells in the state, the risk of similar events remains a point of contention. Landowner Wade Caldwell, surveying the damage, found vegetation suffering what appeared to be "chemical burns," possibly from the geyser's briny discharge.
