With a vote of 6-1, the College Station City Council approved a permit for the construction of a second oil well Monday evening. The second well will be drilled at the intersection of Holleman Drive South and Cain Road.
Halcon Operating Company, the filing party for the permit with Ogden Resources, said it wanted to build the second well on the intersection of Holleman Drive South and Cain Road because of a large oil supply and minerals discovered there.
City Councilman Karl Mooney was the single vote against the permit. Mooney said he has environmental concerns regarding the site and is worried the oil could get into the local water supply.
Steve Ogden, former Texas Senator, Mays Business School graduate and Ogden Resources president, said a new well would not cause harm to the College Station community.
“We have been doing test after test on this project and if there is a problem with anything on the project, then we will stop production immediately,” Ogden said.
Dave Coleman, director of College Station Water Services, said drilling for oil in that location is safe, and precautions are being put into measure to make sure the oil won’t get into the water supply.
“There is no way there can be any communication between a well that is drilled at 10,000 feet and an aquifer at 3,000,” Coleman said. “And as an extra buffer of protection there will be a barrier of steel and concrete to prevent pollution.”
In light of the discussions on the two oil wells, City Councilman John Nichols brought a call of a review of new ordinances to the council’s attention at Monday evening’s meeting.
“I urge council not to accept more permit applications until the ordinance is reviewed,” Nichols said before the final vote. “It is in the city’s best interest to review the ordinances to better represent the city.”
Discussions of new ordinances and permits were referred to future meetings and the council was adjourned.
The first contested fracking well permit was approved on Oct. 9 by the College Station City Council. The first well will be built north of Cain Road between Wellborn and Holleman starting around early December.
The next city council meeting will take place at 7 p.m. on Nov. 13.