More than 500 oil tanks dot the Guadalupe River floodplain in Texas' Eagle Ford Shale, creating an environmental disaster waiting to happen, according to an Inside Climate News investigation. The region, transformed by the fracking boom, now faces severe flood risks that could release millions of gallons of oil and toxic wastewater into the ecosystem. Satellite imagery and FEMA data reveal that a repeat of the devastating 1998 flood could submerge dozens of tank batteries.

Fifth-generation landowners like Sara Dubose and Blake Muir fear catastrophic contamination of their ranchlands. Dubose's family property contains 10 tanks holding up to 21,000 gallons each in the floodplain, while Muir's land shows where a tank battery now stands 1.5 miles from the river - the same spot submerged during the 1998 flood. The analysis found that a 500-year flood could cover at least 22 tank batteries with 10 or more feet of water, with 12 tanks beneath 20 feet.

Climate change intensifies the threat, with warming air and oceans fueling more extreme rainfall events. The region's rural counties lack robust floodplain policies, leaving infrastructure vulnerable. Oil companies including Baytex Energy, EOG Resources, Devon Energy, and ConocoPhillips operate numerous tank batteries in the floodplains, though none responded to comment requests. Open and buried drilling waste pits further compound the environmental risk, with landowners reporting contamination from unlined disposal sites.

Quick Fact: The 1998 Guadalupe River flood covered U.S. 183 in both directions for a week.