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July 17, 2007

Natural Gas Drilling

Tests on campus to decide drill sites

Sensors will be used this week to find out about underground conditions.

Story by: Barbara Gelinas

The Shorthorn staff

The Shorthorn: Kyle Clothier

A large antenna connected to a computerized recording truck sets up Monday in the Maverick Stadium parking lot. The antenna will collect data from geo-sensors all over campus for seismic testing starting Wednesday or Thursday.

Seismic tests begin this week to determine which university sites will be used for natural gas drilling.

Tests are expected to begin late Wednesday or possibly Thursday, said Marion Bone, TimeSlice Technology Inc. president. Representatives will remain at the university to remove equipment as late as Saturday depending on the weather, he said.

The four possible sites include the Maverick Stadium parking lot, the South 40 parking lot and the Activities Building lot, said Rusty Ward, university vice president for business affairs and controller.

A fourth site on the northeast portion of campus will be chosen after workers assess the area.

The seismic testing was originally scheduled for late June but was delayed due to wet ground caused by rainy weather, Bone said.

TimeSlice Technology Inc. was hired to do seismic work by Carrizo Oil and Gas, Inc., which will drill for natural gas.

Ward said students and staff will see wire-like sensors all over campus beginning Tuesday. The wires are not dangerous and carry no electricity, he said.

The geo-sensors will connect to antennas that will transmit the data to a computerized recording truck, Ward said.

He said the university will announce the tests about four to five hours before they begin. The tests will consist of specially made trucks that send vibrations into the ground at the four university sites.

The trucks will send lower vibrations than usual because the sites are in an urban setting. Ward said the vibrations shouldn’t be felt more than 100 to 150 feet from each test site.

The seismic sensors will provide an overall picture of the conditions underground, Bone said. The company will use the results to determine natural gas drilling sites.

Bone said they will take care to avoid underground utilities and other underground structures. He said they expect the results of the testing to be finished in about a month.