AskChesapeake

Baird Parrot Compressor Station
– Fort Worth, Texas

Compressor stations have coexisted peacefully with neighbors in urban environments for many years. In fact, many of the 22 compressor stations that Texas Midstream Gas Services — a wholly owned subsidiary of Access Midstream Partners — operates in the Barnett Shale near residential or commercial developments go unnoticed. They blend in with their surroundings due to their earth tone-painted sound enclosures, fencing and landscaping.

Compressor stations are crucial for the transport of natural gas. Similar to a water pump that moves water through pipes, compressor stations move natural gas through pipelines from the wellsite to homes and power plants. Without compressor stations, natural gas could not move from wells to consumers, including manufacturers and electrical generation plants, in useful quantities. That means you wouldn’t be able to turn on your lights, heat your home, use your computer or mobile phone, watch TV or cook your evening meal.

What is a compressor station?

Compressor stations are essentially garages that shelter a series of engines that move gas from point A to point B. They maintain a level of pressure within the pipeline that helps the gas move long distances.

Are compressor stations safe?

Yes. Compressor stations are heavily regulated at the federal and state levels to ensure the safety of our neighbors, employees and the environment. Through the U.S. Department of Transportation, standards and laws have been developed to ensure trust in design, diligence in construction and safety in operations. Authority to enforce these laws is granted to the Railroad Commission of Texas.

Should I be worried about compressor station emissions?

No. Compressors use engines similar to the engine of a diesel18-wheeler, though larger. The compressor motors are powered either by electricity or by natural gas produced in the Barnett, the same gas used in your home. Natural gas is a clean burning fuel, and the resulting emissions are within acceptable health limits as defined by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).

The TCEQ establishes and enforces regulations that protect air quality. For more information about air quality and for links to the studies that have been conducted on air quality in the Barnett, please visit our air quality page.

Will the sound from a compressor station be bothersome?
Mufflers and other sound-mitigating technologies have been designed and built into compressor stations, allowing them to coexist peacefully with their North Texas neighbors. The compressors are housed within sound-dampening buildings that make the facility as quiet as the surrounding neighborhood. Fort Worth City ordinances require compressor stations to operate at less than 55 decibels during the day and 50 decibels at night, measured from the fence line of the compressor facility property. According to the National Institutes of Health, a normal conversation produces a sound level between 50 and 60 decibels. The ordinances require compressor stations to have at least a 300-foot setback from any property — imagine the difficulty in hearing a conversation from the other side of a football field. 

The Mercado Compressor Station does not disturb a hotel in Fort Worth.

Do compressor stations affect home values?

Independent studies do not suggest that home values are negatively affected by a home’s proximity to a compressor station.

In October 2011, Integra Realty Resources conducted an independent study for Texas Midstream Gas Services to determine the potential effect on residential property values surrounding a proposed compressor station. The study found that the proposed compressor station would not have resulted in a decrease in value to the neighborhoods surrounding the site or a decrease for other non-residential properties surrounding the site. In short, the study found no evidence that property values would be diminished because of the site, even for a neighborhood existing within 600 feet of the proposed compressor station.

A separate independent study was conducted in February 2010 by Integra Realty Resources on behalf of the City of Arlington to determine whether living near a natural gas wellsite impacted home prices. The study found no definitive or measurable impact on typical residential properties around natural gas wellsites. The study was duplicated in August 2010 in Flower Mound, Texas. It produced similar results.

Do compressor stations increase the amount of truck traffic on the roads?

Once constructed, compressor facilities have very little traffic. Unlike an office with workers coming and going, and unlike a shopping center with retail traffic, compressor facilities have few visitors per day. Once the site is constructed, traffic will be significantly lower than related area businesses.

What does a compressor station look like?

Compressor stations look much like any other commercial building. Chances are you’ve driven by a compressor station and didn’t even know it. Below are pictures of various compressor facilities in the Barnett Shale.

Arc Park Compressor Station – Fort Worth		Edgecliff Compressor Station – Fort Worth

Texas Midstream Gas Services strives to be a good neighbor, and we make sure that our operations are as unobtrusive as possible. We feel we’ve been successful in coexisting peacefully with our neighbors, as almost 12,000 residences in Tarrant County and more than 1,700 properties in Johnson County are within a one-mile radius of our compressor stations.​​​​