How is PA handling shale gas wastewater?
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| Jim Riggio, plant manager for the Beaver Falls Municipal Authority, shows a sample of solid materials removed from the Beaver River during treatment Dec. 15 at his plant. |
On January 3rd, Associated Press writer, David Caruso, criticized the efforts underway in Pennsylvania to protect surface waters from shale gas drilling wastewater – especially because in most other states the primary means of disposal is deep well injection.
On January 4th, both the Marcellus Shale Coalition (the industry’s PR group) and DEP Secretary John Hanger defended the Commonwealth’s actions and current regulations.
What do you think?
Do you want to know where shale gas wastewater is permitted to be disposed of into surface waters near you? Below is a snapshot that I made in August 2010 using FracTracker’s DataTool of the facilities within PA that are permitted to receive shale gas drilling wastewater:
To learn more about a particular site, click on the inspect button in the gray toolbar – the “i” – and then click on a red diamond. A white box will pop up. Within that box, click on “view” to see who operates these facilities and how much wastewater per day they are permitted to receive. (“MGD” stands for Million Gallons Per Day. “GPD” means Gallons Per Day.)
And finally, here are two blog posts written by CHEC staff about the challenges facing our surface waters – and potentially our health – as a result of both fresh water withdrawals and wasterwater disposal:
- Do the natural gas industry’s surface water withdrawals pose a health risk? (September 2010, Ferrar)
- Permitted Wastewater Facilities and the Monongahela River (August 2010, Volz & Malone)
HI
I’m Eddie Mitchell. I Live in the North West of Ireland. Exploration
Company’s Have been given Licencing options to start Gas Exploration
on a sparsely populated region on both sides of the border here. I am
a local in the area and also a mature part time student in a MSc in
Energy Management Course at Sligo it. The Local people here are just
beginning to learn about fracking. I am worried about the community
becoming split over environmental issues and future jobs. I would love
to be put in touch with somebody over there which could give us some
perspective on this issue.
>With all the recent scientific facts, reports of illegal dumping of frack fluid (i refuse to even call it water anymore) into our rivers, what do you suggest we do to save our state from total contamination and loss of land and property values like they have witnessed and suffered in TX, CO and other states where this industry is practicing?
With our rivers at flood stage and the bromide levels high, what will happen in the summer when we have our normal drought season and the dilution that is happening today will dwindle to a toxic mess along with the millions of gallons they will be taking for each well to be fracked? 3000 new wells this year alone are permitted. How do you suggest we proceed to live healthy lives here with this amount of corporate greed, lack of concern for our citizens. Each day brings more frack fluid and toxic waste into our water. Each well will take millions of gallons of clean water we have left. What is the game plan if any?? How do we possibly proceed?? I want to know.
>In addition to this locational information with permitted amounts, one can download reports of all the water that actually went to each of these facilities and where it came from at the DEP's Oil and Gas Reporting WebSite:
http://www.marcellusreporting.state.pa.us/OGREReports/Modules/Waste/WasteHome.aspx
The operator and source (lat/long) are provided so it is possible to track brine from a facility back to a well location.