Irby's Years of Service Recognized by Town Council in Dec. 2007

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Text:
Town of Pantego Office of the Mayor Proclamation
Whereas: Harriet Irby has dedicated her life to the Pantego community and has demonstrated in many practical ways her deep and genuine love for this Town and the surrounding area; and
Whereas: Ms. Irby has served the community with distinction by performing in a variety of public appointments and offices, and demonstrated her willingness to place her concern for the public and good above her personal interest; and
Whereas: her enduring humane affection for felines has benefited hundreds of lost or abandoned cats through her care and spading that might have otherwise met their demise; and
Whereas: throughout her career, she has gained the respect of other civic leaders and the love and affection of area residents who are proud to call her “friend.”
Now wherefore, let it be known that I, Dorothy Aderholt, by virtue of the authority vested in me as Mayor of the Town of Pantego, and on behalf of the entire Town Council and all of our citizens, do hereby proclaim December 1, 2007 as: HARRIET IRBY DAY
in the Town of Pantego, Texas, and ask the citizens of Pantego to join me in recognizing this day and extend to her our heartfelt appreciation for her distinguished service and our best wishes to her on her birthday.
In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the Town of Pantego to be affixed this 1st day of December 2007.

Pantego Tax Payers and Lease Holders deserve the truth.

DFW Regional Concerned Citizens, along with Harriet Varnum Irby, invite all Pantego residents to attend a free conversation with Gary Hogan, member of the Fort Worth Mayor's Drilling Task Force.

Gary Hogan knows first hand about the impact of living only 601 feet from an active gas well site since 2005.

He will be available for questions.

Harriet Varnum Irby, candidate for Town Council Place 4, has reserved a room at the El Chico's located at 1540 S. Bowen Road, at the Park Row intersection, next Saturday, April 25 between 3 and 5 pm. for this open informational meeting.

All residents of Pantego are welcome.

Irby quizzed Arlington Mayor Pro Tem Ron Wright about possible contamination of adjacent cities' drinking water by gas drillling in Arlington

Excerpt from Arlington Texan - Oct. 21, 2007

Harriet Irby, of Pantego, became concerned when she learned of gas drilling in adjacent Arlington and Fort Worth. Pantego and DalWorthington Gardens rely on well water for their municipal water supply. At a League of Women Voters Gas Drilling Symposium in 2006 Faith Chatham quizzed Arlington Mayor Pro Tem Ron Wright about the danger of contaminating drinking water through the gas development process. Mr. Wright blew it off as not an issue stating "Arlington doesn't get its drinking water from aquifiers." Harriet Irby spoke up and stated: "But we do in Pantego!" Mr. Wright's response was: "Arlington is always ready and willing to sell water to Pantego!"

Not satisfied with that answer, Ms. Irby began visiting the City Manager and Mayor of Pantego, alerting them to developments in neighboring Fort Worth and Arlington. Dale Henry was always just a telephone call away, advising her and educating her on technical issues which she presented to the leaders of her town. At the time, neither DalWorthington Gardens nor Pantego had gas drilling ordinances. Both have developed some and are polishing them now. Pantego's plans include water testing to establish a baseline plus requirements that gas drillers pay for perodic testing of the water supply. "These are, however, only measures that address part of the danger." Ms. Irby is also concerned with depletion of the water supply through Gas drilling.

Gas is removed from the ground by a fracing process which utilizes millions of gallons of water. Gas drilling is an industrial process which has encroached into high density residential neighborhoods in Tarrant County. In rural western Tarrant County, Parker County and Wise County, some water wells have been sucked dry by the drain on the aquifier by gas drilling. Residential water usage is monitored but industrial gas drilling is exempted from water conservation caps. Current Texas law does not require that water usage for gas drilling be recorded and reported.

Water! Water! Water! Don't Mess With Our Water!

By Harriet Varnum Singh Irby - April 6, 2009
There is a problem with Pantego water. The levels of sodium and sulfates are troubling for many homeowners. The drinking water can aggravate sodium-sensitive hyper-tension according to EPA advisories.

Some Pantego homeowners find that many of their favorite plants die when they use Pantego municipal water for watering. Because of this ongoing problem, there at least 200 private water wells in the town. Over 10% of the homeowners have private wells. They cannot be used for drinking but for irrigation. This a very high percentage for homeowners in the metroplex.

Our municipal water supply is further threatened by gas drilling in the Barnett Shale in Pantego.

Pantego citizens are justified in being concerned about this issue. A long standing question has been "WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT OUR WATER?"

Some citizens formed their own committee headed by Bob Griffin, allegedly to study and solve the problem of Pantego's water. Basically these people appointed themselves.

I believe this committee is not taking the problem seriously. I believe they are using this issue politically to get their friends elected.

Why do I think this?

1. There are many Federal and State standards for safe drinking water and many certified laboratories which yield accurate water testing results. The committee used a laboratory to test Pantego's water which is not certified for testing drinking water. They were to create a baseline of our drinking water to gauge future contamination from gas drilling.

They used an expensive testing laboratory recommended by "someone in the City of Arlington water department" which is not certified for testing drinking water!

I personally requested sodium and sulfate tests from a laboratory certified for testing drinking water. They came to my home, took the sample and provided a verified chain of custody for the test. Their rates were half of what was quoted for the same test by the lab used by Bob Griffin's committee.

2. Bob Griffin's test was only from the Pantego municipal wells. Pantego citizens' water is delivered to residences through asbestos reinforced concrete pipes (some of which are over 50 years old). The committee did not test for aesbestos fibers in the water or other contaminants delivered to the homeowner through the existing city pipes. There is concern that fraking of gas wells may damage those concrete pipes. Bob Griffin's tests ignores this.

3. The Griffin Committee thinks Pantego should to buy water from Arlington. Griffin's Committee used an uncertified lab recommended by someone at the Arlington Water Department. Gee! Is there a problem here?

4. Carrizo Oil paid for the tests for the Griffin Committee. I do not know if this biased the results of the testing or influenced the selection of the testng lab?

5. I received a copy of the report from Bob Griffin. The lab refuses to answer questions or provide results to ANYONE other than Bob Griffin. This test is not being made available to citizens under public information disclosure laws.

6. Mr. Griffin and my opponent are members of a city water panel. This testing should have been in conjunction with the city. My opponent allows Mr. Griffin to operate in spheres which should be reserved for elected city officials and city employees.

It is important that the people on the Pantego Town Council who approve contracts and study the data are independent of special interests.

I am a member of the Pantego-Arlington Area Lease Committee. I insisted on the oil company paying for a base-line water study. What Mr. Griffin, my opponent and Carrizo Oil have provided is not what we were promised.

The Oil Company should have paid the City of Pantego for the testing and the city should have selected a certified lab and contracted for a verifiable chain of custody from every well and from random residences in all sections of the city. This is how it is done when you are really serious about the water!

Doing nothing will not improve our water situation.

BUT DO WE REALLY WANT TO BE DEPENDENT ON ARLINGTON FOR WATER?

ARLINGTON ALREADY PRACTICES RESIDENTIAL WATER RATIONING.

ARLINGTON HAS RESIDENTIAL SURCHARGES. If you use over 3000 gallons a month you pay an additional $8.00 a month surcharge.

Arlington water isn't all that great. Many Arlington residents drink bottled water.

We need better data in order to make informed decisions regarding the best course for improving and protecting Pantego's municipal water supply.

I have a M.A. in Politicial Science with research at the UTA Urban Institute. I began studying Pantego's (and other) Municipal Water in 1985. While a member of the Pantego Water Futures Committee, I used State of Texas data to create a baseline for Pantego. I have been viligant about our water for twenty years. While serving you on the Town Council I'll remain viligant as we solve this problem together.

Whether it's T. Bone Pickens, Bob Griffin, or my opponent, DON'T MESS WITH OUR WATER!