Gas Driller's Water Sucking Today From The Trinity River By Gateway Park & Making A Real Big Mess

The mud covered paved trail is not a vehicular trail. It is a Trinity Trail running out of Gateway Park towards downtown Fort Worth and beyond. Today the trail ended a short distance from where we are in the picture, due to the Trinity River is running over a dam that also serves as a bridge for the trail.

My one longtime reader may remember a few weeks ago when I discovered a pipeline and pump in this location. And a short time after that, on a day when large numbers of people were cleaning up litter on the Trinity, that pipeline had been moved to a less noticeable location.

I must mention, before I continue on with what my main thing is that I want to tell you, that it seemed very ironic to see the Trinity River banks up close today, lined again with litter due to the recent high water. The litter looking like a line of white birds along the edge of the dikes.

I found this sign interesting. It is right by the aforementioned pump, that I must tell you has now been dragged from water's edge to a location on the levee. So, if you are at this location past 10pm you are committing a violation which constitutes trespassing. And what sort of violation is making a mess, while pumping water out of the river? I looked and looked and could find no permit for this operation posted anywhere. Surely the City of Fort Worth must issue some sort of permit to allow such activity on city parkland?

Here you see the muddy mess made on top of the levee. I don't know how it works in Texas, but in Washington dikes are protected from this type damage, because it is known that removing the grass can weaken the dike. Then again, the Trinity's levees are way bigger than any dikes I've ever seen on a Washington river. Maybe this does no harm to a Texas Trinity levee.

A close up look at the diesel pump. I forgot to mention, the pump was running today. I heard a really loud noise as I crossed the bridge from Gateway Park. I thought it was water roaring over the dam at first. Then I started smelling diesel fumes, then it became obvious it was a noisy pump making the racket.

Here you see the pipeline going into the Trinity. And the remains of the protective skirting from the pump's previous location before it was drug onto the levee.

A closer look at the strange swirl of foamy river water circling around the pipeline's intake.

From river's edge looking back up to the top of the levee where the pump sits and pumps water and diesel fumes into the air. One other interesting thing. I touched the pipeline, thinking I'd feel the movement of water, instead the pipe felt warm. Warm from friction from fast moving water, I wondered?

Trinity River water flowing over the dam that usually serves as a bridge for the Trinity Trail. It appears the boat dock was damaged in the flood. If you click to enlarge the picture you'll see the faint line of litter on the south bank that I mentioned above. From that you can see how high the river got during our recent unpleasantness with excess rain.

Another look at the litter line high water indicator on the south bank of the Trinity River. This view is from under the Beach Street bridge.

So, that's some of what I found interesting today at Gateway Park. I found another interesting thing at Gateway Park today. That I'll tell you about in another blogging. To be written as soon as I finish this one.