I am not going to be very specific on all these details until we determine our course of action to resolve this issue.
Family estate owns some 540 of 640 acres (undivided interest) in NE Reeves County. We have discovered that a pipeline company laid 12" flat water pipeline across the corner of our property covering approximately 2,000 ft (121 rods) back in June, 2017, without permission from the surface owners. Several attempts were made to contact the company, but no success. Finally phone contact was made the later part of June with the company stating it was an oversight and they would like to resolve the issue--still nothing. Then a face-to-face meeting was held in their office the first of August with same statements by the company--still nothing.
My question is: What options do the surface owners have? (I have some that have come to mind, but not sure how legal they are.)
In my opinion, they have been trespassing for the past 3 months.
Hmm I'm hoping you get some good responses, I have some land over there as well (much less than you) and I'm just wondering as it's on the border between 2 counties, whats going on there, in California you would be able to get someone to find the property and snap a couple of pictures for around $50.00. I wonder what the cost would be out there in Reeves County??
Vince, I was out on our property the last of June and took pictures on my phone. I have already shown those to the pipeline company.
Vince if you can give me the legal description(section, block and/or abstract#'s I will get you a GIS(Geographic Information System) map.
There are 102 Section 16 in Reeves County so I need Block number or Abstract number.
Thanks,
Clint Liles
Hey Clint:
BLK 45, TRACT 14 AB 3607 SEC 14 BLK 45 PSLINENE/4 SW/4 NW/4.
Vince
Vince,
The Abstract 3607 won't work. In Section 14 vertical gas well 30945 Operator is : Whites Industrial Engines........ 37598 is a Shut-in-gas well.......next door to the west/Horizontal well 34153 operator is PDC Permian.
Some of the operators/producers in the surrounding area are PDC Permian, Anadarko E & P Onshore, Carrizo LLC, Three Rivers Operating and Cimarex Energy.
GIS Map of Reeves County Section 14/Block 45:
Your minerals are in the area of the red check mark.
CLICK ON MAP TO ENLARGE
Clint Liles
Hey Clint:
Thanks for looking at it, the AB3607 comes right off of the property description on a tax bill I just paid, so I hope thats the right property, anyway we'll see what happens. I hope ya'll are safe.
Vince
Vince,
If I can help you further let me know.
Clint
Do a formal demand letter certified mail stating you will file suit for damages and trespass and seek an injunction. That usually gets a response. Also, if you can find out whether they have a customer benefitting from the line (a SWD well owned by someone different than who owns the line) you may get them to pressure the line operator to address it.
Do you know whether the owner of the other 80 acres gave them permission?
Thanks Wade. We sent a certified letter and got a response from them. We negotiated a monetary settlement for a temporary surface agreement including a termination date for them to be permanently off our surface. We also found out that the estate owned the entire surface acres which helped us in negotiating.
