Submerged Tanks Spell Potential Catastrophe (Image Credits: Unsplash)
Gonzales, Texas – Hundreds of massive oil storage tanks now occupy the flood-prone plains along the Guadalupe River and its tributaries, remnants of a fracking surge that ignored the region’s watery past.
Submerged Tanks Spell Potential Catastrophe
A detailed analysis revealed at least 22 tank batteries containing 144 individual tanks that could sit under more than 10 feet of water during a 500-year flood, with 12 tanks facing over 20 feet.[1]
These sites cluster in Gonzales and DeWitt counties within the prolific Eagle Ford Shale play. Satellite imagery pinpointed 78 such batteries across the area, each typically holding five 500-barrel oil tanks and one for wastewater – volumes equivalent to 13,000 to 32,000 gallons per tank. Operators like EOG Resources, Devon Energy, Burlington Resources, and former owner Baytex Energy maintain these installations. Pipelines also crisscross the river, adding to the vulnerability.
Local landowner Sara Dubose described the scene on her property: 10 tanks, each up to 21,000 gallons, perched where waters nearly reached her home in 1998. “There’s a whole lot of tanks full of oil that are going to float away… Spill all over our land and ruin it for 100 years,” she said.
Echoes of the 1998 Mega-Flood
On October 17, 1998, the Guadalupe River and tributaries like Plum Creek and Sandies Creek unleashed a torrent that defied predictions. Water surged miles wide across coastal plains, submerging highways and trapping residents for days. The Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority and FEMA later deemed it “the flood that many thought would never happen,” yet foresaw even larger events ahead.
Blake Muir recalled the chaos: “I thought the whole world was going to flood.” Ben Prause, a 92-year-old former county executive, noted how rapidly waters rose to chest height in minutes. That deluge predated the fracking boom, when the landscape held far fewer wells and pads.
- Highway 183 vanished under sheets of water south of Gonzales.
- Shallow valleys filled completely, turning ranchlands into lakes.
- No oil infrastructure existed to amplify the damage.
- Two-thirds of nearby Cuero flooded knee-to-chest deep.
Regulatory Void Fuels the Expansion
The shale revolution, powered by horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing less than 20 years ago, transformed these ranchlands into a leading oilfield. Texas lacks a statewide floodplain policy, leaving oversight to counties ill-equipped for such risks. Todd Votteler, a former river authority official, questioned the state’s commitment: “Those are not issues that most counties… are well suited to handle.”
Landowners raised flood warnings, but drillers dismissed them. One told Sara Dubose her property faced a “100-year flood” unlikely to recur soon – a common misconception, as such events carry a 1% annual chance regardless of history. Sister Elizabeth Riebschlager, an 89-year-old nun, warned companies directly, yet wells proliferated.
| Operator | Example Sites at Risk | Flood Depth (500-Year) |
|---|---|---|
| EOG Resources | Shiner Hub plant (14 tanks); river turn battery | 10–20 feet |
| Burlington Resources | Four tanks near river | 23 feet |
| Baytex Energy (former) | Peach Creek batteries (12 & 28 tanks) | 8–13 feet |
Climate Shifts Heighten the Stakes
Warming atmospheres now fuel heavier downpours, as outlined in a 2024 Texas State Climatologist report. Extreme rainfall intensity could rise 10% by 2036 compared to recent decades, with odds doubling or more against mid-20th-century baselines. All of Texas’ 10 hottest years occurred since 2011, boosting moisture in storms.
Last summer’s upstream floods near Kerrville killed over 100 and demolished a camp, but reservoirs spared the Eagle Ford. Past disasters elsewhere underscore the peril: 2013 Colorado saw 90,000 gallons spill from overturned tanks; Hurricane Katrina released millions. Diane Wilson, a bay waterkeeper, cautioned that flood-dispersed oil defies easy cleanup, threatening San Antonio Bay’s whooping cranes and beyond.
Key Takeaways
- Over 500 tanks dot floodplains identified via Inside Climate News satellite review.[1]
- No state rules govern oil builds in high-risk zones.
- Climate trends make “500-year” floods more probable.
The Eagle Ford’s unchecked growth leaves a volatile legacy, where one big flood could unleash toxins across cherished ranchlands and into the Gulf. Residents like James Dodson lament the changed landscape: far more facilities now stand in harm’s way. Will Texas act before the waters rise again? What do you think about it? Tell us in the comments.
