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Drillers: Fracturing rock poses no danger
But the industry is quick to point out its methods are safe, and not one case of water contamination has been reported from hydraulic fracturing, even though the process has been used for 60 years to drill 1 million wells.
"In essence, it's a safe process. It's well-regulated, and it has minimal environmental impact," said Matt Pitzarella, spokesman for Range Resources, a gas drilling company operating in Washington County.
To extract natural gas in the Marcellus Shale formation, a procedure called hydraulic fracturing, or "fracing," is employed, forcing millions of gallons of water under high pressure deep into the shale bed, causing tiny cracks in the rock that allow gas to be released for capture.
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And while the names may sound imposing, "every single additive we use is part of our daily life," said Pitzarella.
Laurel Ziemba, public affairs for CNX Gas, explained that because horizontal drilling is about 8,000 feet below the earth's surface and the typical aquifer is no more than 200 feet below, there would be little chance of a water well being contaminated by a fracturing agent.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2004 concluded there was no evidence that hydraulic fracturing used in coal-bed methane wells contaminated underground sources of drinking water. Coal-bed methane tends to be located closer to aquifers than the Marcellus Shale, and those wells are drilled by CNX Gas.
Helen Humphreys, spokeswoman for the state Department of Environmental Protection, said the department will take samples and do field inspections if people complain about changes in water.
She recommends that people obtain a sample of their drinking water prior to the start of drilling activities. The matter should be reported to the DEP, not just to the drilling company, she said.
Pitzarella pointed out that while there is oversight of the gas-drilling industry, there are no regulations regarding private drinking wells. Range has found property owners who have accidentally drilled a water well into a mine pool.
And Pitzarella said any risks associated with drilling tend to be surface impacts, such as a truck overturning and spilling its chemical load. In 15 years, there have been 80 such surface spills, but Pitzarella said the effects on local groundwater have been minimal.
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Marcellus represents opportunity, challenges
Fish kill update planned for Dec. 3
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: 11/9/2009
So the frac fluid is deemed safe, how about the water that comes back up from the ground that is being dumped into our local water sources. The mon is continually reading high levels of TDS, where is this coming from? The gas wells.
Remember Dunkard Creek : 11/9/2009
We’re making some progress, industry PR spin doctors are finally owning up to some gas industry spills. Is it only 80 though? It’s interesting to read quotes from these two particular companies; one has two confirmed fish kills in 2009 from “safe” fracking activities in Washington County, while the other company is the prime suspect in the Dunkard Creek debacle, the last we heard. Reassuring. As far as the rest of the “spin” from industry reps, ask them how many lawsuits they are currently litigating. Next ask them how many legal settlements they have made that included hush money. Finally, ask them how many homes in Washington and Greene Counties now have water buffalos for their drinking water source or that of their livestock, due to nearby gas drilling. No one is getting the BIG picture here. At least not yet.
Yes, Please Remember Dunkard Creek : 11/9/2009
We’re so lucky to have "Robert" and his blog to save us. From his laptop, he’s now disproven the findings of decades of research from 30 state and federal regulatory agencies. Or he’s just frightening people. Regulators from Pa, Wv and the US EPA have all indicated that Marcellus activity has NOTHING to do with Dunkard Creek. It was an algae bloom exacerbated from coal mine discharges. The real problem in the area is lack of regulation – but not of the gas industry. We are among the only states with ZERO as NO regulation or standards or requirements for drinking water wells. Anyone can poke a hole in their yard and drink whatever comes out. Most of it is full of agricultural runoff and some water wells even pull from underground coal mines. That’s why the state found that more than 30% of the drinking water wells surveyed produce water that does NOT meet drinking water standards.
Poison : 11/9/2009
I am not sure who is blinder, The DEP, The Reps and PR for the Drilling Companies, Or the property owners that are making a killing off of the leases and royalties. Greed turns a blind eye to protecting our precious water system. Everyone can TELL us that its SAFE, but I Do see and smell a difference in my tap water. From the spots on my glasses to the off taste. I should not have to BUY drinking water as they tell us. I already am paying for fresh drinkable water and as I hear it's going up 7 percent because they need to make the water cleaner from the hydraulic fracturing waste water that is being dumped in our rivers and streams. I am horrified to think what the people with wells are drinking. I feel helpless when our own government looks past the harm for the all mighty dollar. When our water is gone...so are we. Wake up people!!
Too deep? : 11/9/2009
lets remember that you must pass 200 to get to 8000 and even if there is a cement collar "protecting" the bore hole hydrostatic pressures can drive water upwards. Remember roughly 2/3 of the fract solutions stay below ground the issue is mostly the 1/3 coming back out and how that is handled (or not).
Contaminated Water : 11/9/2009
I'm sure all of you who are customers with the SPWA, Southwestern Pennsylvania Water Authority, have noticed the high amounts of TDS, Total Dissolved Solids, in your water. Not only does it leave water spots on everything it touches, the water now tastes terrible. The DEP says our water which comes from the Monongahela River is safe to drink, however so, i have resorted to using bottled spring water.
Re: "Thirsty" & "Disgusted" : 11/9/2009
Almost all Marcellus water is now recycled. Wastewater treatment facilities along the Mon River cannot accept more than 1% of their daily flow from Marcellus water. Many aren't accepting any because it's being recycled. All of this information is manifested with the DEP. The problem with TDS in the Mon, which has been a problem for several years, is from uncontrolled, abandoned coal mines that spew millions of gallons of acid mine discharges or AMD into our waterways. It’s also from every single industrial facility along the Mon – electric generation, steel, plastics, food processing, and so forth. The second largest contributor of TDS in the Mon is from road salt. The gas industry realizes this and recognizes that there is no money to be made in Pa unless we solve wastewater, which is why we are now the ONLY state in the nation that recycles almost all of our drilling water.
Drinking the Koolaid : 11/9/2009
To the "Industry Employee" it sounds like you drank the proverbial Koolaid. You keep believing that it's not the Wastewater from the Gas Drilling. With leaking retention ponds, illegal dumping and sick livestock, I don't think it's everyone else!
Third World Country : 11/9/2009
The DEP can not be trusted to protect us. DEPadministrators and staff are implementing Boss Rendell's Drill Baby Drill policy and if they speak against the industry the landmen who now watch everything will report them. Clean burning natural gas is not clean when it destroys communities,the environment, water supplies and the truth.
: 11/9/2009
So the warnings over the summer were from road salt? Also there hasn't been a DEP warning about the Mon since the municipal water treatment facilities stopped taking frac water. Is this just coinsidence
Yes and No : 11/10/2009
AMD have been around for awhile and has left too much of our water sources at an already critical stage. I believe what we are finding out is that the Gas/Oil industry's standard for water protection and usage doesn't work with a water supply that had already been severely damaged by Coal and earlier extraction industries. That is to say what they usually spill, misplace, dump and or otherwise return to the water supply is never noticed. It is nice to hear about the "recycling" of water, how coal is so much cleaner to extract than before - but really what choice do they have. Additional contamination will red-flag this region due to its already high contamination status from those "prosperity" years. This proves as a great working example of how historical and the ongoing lack of environmental protection of this region in favor of resource opportunism and prosperity comes back to bite the industries in the proverbial arse with overly sensitive environmental conditions, and a population living in the memories of an exploited past. Great that this industry boasts to make a handful of people "millionaires" and a few more "hundred-aires" but the other 99% of the population needs to deal with what they leave behind.
No Summer Warning : 11/10/2009
There was NO high TDS warning over the summer. I am afraid that you area mistaken. As the Observer-Reporter reported 30 days ago, the DEP is AGAIN reporting high levels of TDS in the Mon River despite the fact that there is essentially ZERO Marcellus water being disposed in the basin. http://www.observer-reporter.com/or/localnews/10-16-mon-water As for the KoolAid poster, you should deal with facts and not cute one liners.
WHAT? : 11/10/2009
Industry Eemployee should park next to the McKeesport Municipal Authority and watch the brine tankers roll in there daily. They accept 80,000 gallons per day and the only treatment is dilution before it hits the Mon River. Get out of the office once in a while for some reality!
Is August considered summer? : 11/11/2009
Here is a newspaper article from Aug 8th warning of high TDS levels. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09220/989472-114.stm
gas wells : 11/18/2009
Being involved in gas wells as an everyday part of my job I want to tell you BEWARE of the friendly face and a hand shake. These companies local and out of state are destroying the very envirorment that you and your children live in, gas well activity is poisoning the water, coal burning factories are poisoning the air all for profit and at our expense, they're your good neighbor all right they do what they want and then they go back to thier happy little homes in far far away states, like we don;t have enough problems with water , New York wants to send their contaminated water to Greene County and all for a profit, what a joke, we already get all their garbage sent here. Wake up Greene County before it's to late.
