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DEP sets drilling rules for water protection
The state Department of Environmental Protection has imposed new wastewater treatment standards to reduce what are known as total dissolved solids and the amount of chlorides in water released from sites where companies are drilling into the Marcellus Shale field.
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"The DEP's proposal of these new limits (had) already driven industry investment in new technologies to treat this wastewater, which is high in TDS," DEP Secretary John Hanger stated in a Wednesday news release. "We are proving that if we hold the environmental bar high, the industry can and will rise to meet Pennsylvania's expectations."
Public water suppliers in the region that draw water from the Monongahela River began to receive complaints about smelly water after a boom in the Marcellus Shale industry that began in 2007. Streams already receive these particles from stormwater or abandoned coal mines, and such utilities are not equipped to treat the contaminants.
The new wastewater regulations initially were set to take effect in January, but the DEP advertised them now to further protect water supplies, said Helen Humphreys, director of DEP communications.
The industry has largely responded by recycling the water it uses to drill into the shale, Humphreys said, before investing in the technology that exists to treat such water.
The companies do not have to treat water that is not discharged, she said.
The new permitted limit for discharges of wastewater from gas drilling is 500 milligrams per liter of the solids and 250 milligrams per liter for chlorides. All new and expanding facilities which treat gas well wastewater must now meet these discharge limits or face enforcement actions.
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Only helps with part of the problem : 8/26/2010
Still no real "treatment" to remove the frac chemicals and pollutants that return in this gas well flowback from below. We need to STOP ALL DUMPING of this wastewater into our rivers and drinking water sources!
Oh No : 8/26/2010
The Gas Industry will scream The Sky Is Falling, The Sky Is Falling!
Make coal companies comply as well. : 8/26/2010
Its time DEP regulated mine discharge as tight as they now will for gas frac fliuds. Why allow a direct discharge into the Mon as is now planned of a high total disolved soild wayer stream. I am tired of selective regulations.
Tanker Trucks : 8/26/2010
How about protecting the public from the tanker trucks that haul this water!! School children on the roads and waiting at school bus stops! Only takes one accident! Slow these trucks to the posted speed limit or less! And one hand on the steering wheel and one hand holding a cell phone is not safe operation of any vehicle, let alone a tanker truck hauling hundreds of gallons of fluid.
Ignorant Tree Huggers : 8/26/2010
If people would actually take the time to study what was really at hand here, they would realize that the biggest problem to all of this is that most of Pennsylvania water sucks before anyone even drilled. Go have your water tested and it can be assured that it does not meet the standards that nasty, STINKY city water has. Point is: Most of the time the water was bad even before the drilling started! Another point to ponder is the "wonderful" coal and steel industries. It has been documented that coal companies regularly drill for coalbed methane before they mine the coal. Coal is not much deeper if it is deeper than the typical water table. Frac into an old coal mine by "mistake" and now you have frac water taking the fastest route to the local stream which in turn will lead directly to the river. Open your eyes and realize WHO is causing the problems. Its not your big natural gas companies that are out there making billions for the local economies.
Ten Mile Creek : 8/26/2010
New regulations are to little, to late. Comparing the color of the water in Dunkard Creek last summer, to the color of the water in Ten Mile Creek this year. It appears that Ten Mile's water quality may be compromised.
Cosmos : 8/27/2010
You noticed too, huh? It's looking low and scary.
disgruntled SHILL-FINDER : 8/28/2010
COAL has long been the local government dirty "not-so-secret" secret - expect it to get even tighter for them too - however the long term arrogance coupled with a deliberatly weakened infrasturcture, fraigile ecosystem and a multi-generational "spite your nose" "anything for a buck" trained extraction indstry worker and YOU WILL HAVE PROBLEMS. Our issue "those treehuggers" that drink water from their faucet or well is SIMPLE - we don't want to see it get any worse. Now that you understand this
: 9/3/2010
So if some of the problems are caused by the coal companies that makes it OK to compound the problem by adding frac water to it, makes sense to me. Where are these billions you speak of, it's not going to the taxpayers, PA does not tax these companies so I do not benefit, the onlyl thing I get from these gas companies are polluted air, polluted water, destroyed roads and truck traffic. I hope everyone is saving these billions of dollars we are getting so when the gas drilling companies leave we will have the money to clean up their mess.
Water whiners : 9/4/2010
You know, there ARE a million other reasons why water changes color. Natural occurring bacteria, for example. Sediment maybe. Or how about just the color of the sky? Let's get facts before we start freaking out over drilling and the color of our water. People dont seem to realize that drill has already been done here in W Pa in the past, with Upper Devonian Natural Gas wells. But yet, people don't seem to even take notice of those wells sitting on farmlands. Why? Because it really is NOT that big of a deal and everything is just hunky dory now. Calm down people! Its gonna be alright...the big bad drillers arent coming to get you!
WHINER WHINERS : 9/6/2010
Upper Devonian Natural Gas didn't hydro frac or utilze the amount of water the way they do today. While there will always be alarmists and "chicken little's" - telling people that it isn't THAT BAD is what these people heard from COAL and the company men for years before. so when the EXTRACTION INDUSTRY tries to MARKET, LEGISLATE and BEAT IN the idea that this is ALL GOOD - we HAVE even MORE reasons TO BE cautious
Good go see govt. is on duty : 9/8/2010
Glad to see that we did not rush into this...obviously we aren't playing catch up with regulations. Our govt is a joke
Tanker Trucks : 12/6/2010
I would like to know who is going to pay to fix the back roads that these tanker trucks are tearing up. One local road has two gas wells on it and when it rains you can't travel that road unless you want your vehicle to look like you have been mud bogging. These companies can't even keep the road clean let alone keep it in repair. Just some more of our tax dollars going to the big gas companies.
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