For the New or Future Water Well Owner Homebuyer in Pennsylvania
Welcome to Pennsylvania and Welcome to Managing Your Own Small Water Company
In Pennsylvania, there are generally no specific construction standards for private wells and there is only some general guidance with respect to well placement and construction. Further, private well water is not regulated by the EPA or PADEP and therefore it is up to YOU to check your water to ensure that the well produces good clean and adequate water. This is only a short summary of the information. If you are interested we offer a Private Well Owner Training Course that can be offered as a Workshop for Your Community, Association, or other Organization.
There are a number of steps to this process and well will break them down as follows:
Well Placement
Well Construction
Well Testing (Yield and Quality)
Well Maintenance
Annual Water Testing
pokily Well Placement
In general, the primary guidance with to water well placement in Pennsylvania is that a water well should be 100 feet from a septic system (regulated), 50 feet from a septic tank (regulated), 10 feet from a sewer line under pressure (regulated), and 10 feet from a property line. To be honest, these isolation distance do not consider impacts from other natural conditions or activities. In general, we would recommend the following:
1. If possible, the private well owner should control all activities within a 50 to 100 foot radius of the wellhead, i.e.., top of the water well. These activities should include: use of pesticides and herbicides, storage of toxic or hazardous chemicals, storage or management of manure and other waste, diversion of surface water and runoff, overuse of the area by grazing animals, location of burrow pits, burn pipes, rubbish storage, or storage of used cars or other items that may contain antifreeze, oils, and greases.
2. Well casing should extend at least 12 inches above grade.
3. Well should be fitted with a sanitary well cap that has some form of venting.
4. The well should be located at least 10 feet from a property line.
Other suggested isolation distances
Delineated wetlands or floodplains (25 feet)- with top of casing 3 feet above flood elevation.
Surface waters (25 feet) Storm water Systems (25 feet)
BioInfiltration Stormwater Systems (50 feet +)
Spray Irrigation/ Septage Disposal (100 feet+)
Sinkholes and Closed Depressions (100 feet +)
Farm silos / manure storage (200 feet) Septic Systems (100 feet)
Septic Tanks/Holding Tanks (50 feet)
Chemical Storage/Preparation Area (300 feet)
inside-out Well Construction
1. Prefer the use of steel casing that extends at least 15 feet to 20 feet into firm bedrock or 60 feet below ground, whichever is greater.
2. Casing should be of adequate wall thickness to deal with corrosion and stress – 19lb casing.
3. The base of the casing should contain a driveshoe on the bottom of the casing and casing centralized in the borehole.
4. Wells drilled by a licensed well driller using only potable water as the drilling fluid.
5. Casing should be double circumferential welded or threaded casing
6. Well caps should be sanitary well caps that are properly vented.
7. Annular space should have a grout layer that is at least 1.5 inches thick.
8. Pitless adapters should be used over well pits.
Well Testing (Yield and Quality)
After the well is drilled, the well should be developed using surging, air-lift, or pumping the well. This is done to clean out the well cuttings and improve yield. In some cases, this needs to be done to improve the efficiency of the borehole. If the well yield is low, some well drillers will hydrofrac the well. If you are going to hydrofrac a water well, we recommend zone hydraulic fracturing to isolate the deeper potential water-bearing zones. After the well development has been completed, a shock wellbore disinfection should be conducted. The well should be allowed to fully recover and a minimum 2-hour yield test is recommend. After the yield testing, the well should be shock disinfected. For information on shock disinfection – we recommend visiting Water-Research Center. The well yield data should include the static water level (water level before pumping), maximum dynamic water level (maximum depth to water during pumping), pumping rate, and length of the pumping test. This data should be included on the well log and the specific capacity of the well should be reported. The specific capacity is the rate of yield or gallons per minute per foot of drawdown. The drawdown is the difference between the static and dynamic water level measurement.
Before the end of the yield testing, it is recommended that a general water quality analysis of the well be conducted. This testing should include bacterial quality, general water quality, and specific parameters that are known problems for your region. Do not rely on a free water analysis or a basic water quality screening down by the well driller. This should be either information or certified testing conducted by a laboratory. For information on this type of testing, please contact the Keystone Clean Water Team or the Water-Research Center. The initial water quality testing data should be reviewed and evaluated. The first well or city water quality test should be a comprehensive water quality check. If you are want informational water testing, we would recommend either the Well Water Check or the City Water Check Option. This evaluation should include the need for any further action to improve the well security, continue with well development, or add equipment to improve well water quality. In some cases, water treatment systems are installed as an additional barrier or layer of protection. In many cases, the only type of additional treatment that is needed is a whole-house particle filter and a sanitary well cap. For information on Do-it-Yourself Water Treatment Systems.
Well and System Maintenance
At a minimum, the well water system should go through an annual inspection. This inspection could be associated with the annual water quality test or inspection of any water treatment systems. During this evaluation, the aesthetic quality of the water should be evaluated and some basic field water quality screening should be conducted. For the field water screening, it is possible this can be done using a number of low-cost meters or an informational water quality screening test.
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Annual Water Testing
Depending on the results of the initial evaluation, the results should be evaluated to determine what are the water quality parameters that should be monitored to help track the general water quality of the well. If a water treatment system was installed, the annual water quality evaluation should include the performance of the water treatment system. If you need help with determining what you need, WE can Help – Here is a partial listing of the informational water screening tests ! The Keystone Clean Water Team can provide guidance on the selection of water quality parameters, review water quality data, and make recommendations on the water quality parameters. If you are interested, you may want to obtain a copy of our Educational Booklet and Brochure.
To Review a Number of our Case Studies – Common Private Well Problems and Fixes.
Everything we do began with an idea.
We have offered “Free” Assistance to this effort, but if you are a private well owner that needs assistance we are happy to help.
We realize your time is precious and the world is hectic. CCGG’s volunteers do only what they’re comfortable with. It can be a little or a lot. Get YOUR WATER Tested – Discounted Screening Tests !
For more information, please go to CCGG’s About Page or contact us. Follow us on Twitter
Keystone Clean Water Team is a 501(c)(3) IRS approved nonprofit, volunteer organization and your donation is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. Unsolicited donations are appreciated (Helps us complete our mission), but we also do local educational workshops and local cellphone/small electronic recycling programs. If you would like to set up a program to help recycle cellphones at an event, business, or other organization. Through our program we can recycle cell phones, iPods, game systems, and small digital cameras. If your interested, please contact us.
Help the Organization and Get Your Water Tested (Partner Site) or Order the Private Well Owner Guide (proceeds benefit This Organization). Water Science Basics!
Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Northeast Pennsylvania Polycythemia Vera Investigation
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Northeast Pennsylvania Polycythemia Vera (PV) Investigation
Background
In 2004, using state cancer registry records, the Pennsylvania Department of Health (PADOH) found a PV cluster in northeast Pennsylvania. PV is part of a disease group called myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN), which is a group of slow-growing blood cancers where the bone marrow makes too many red blood cells, white blood cells, or platelets.
In 2006, ATSDR was asked to help study PV patterns in the area. From 2007-2008, ATSDR reviewed medical records, conducted genetic testing, and confirmed this PV cluster.
In 2009, Congress funded ATSDR to continue this investigation. ATSDR is overseeing 18 projects with PADOH, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, and various universities and private organizations. These projects are based on recommendations from an expert panel. The panel identified four areas for investigation; epidemiology, genetics, toxicology, and environmental studies.
In 2014, the last of the contracts for the 18 different projects ended.
Status
The graphic with this email provides a summary of the status of each of the 18 projects as of October 2014. I’ve attached this graphic both as a “snapshot” in the body of this email, as well as a pdf attachment. Projects highlighted in “green” in the attached graphic have work complete and a final product available (if applicable). Projects highlighted in “yellow” have final products in progress and undergoing clearance. Projects highlighted in “red” have final products that are anticipated but not yet started. The shapes of the projects in the graphics give you an idea of the category of work of that project, as described in the key on the graphic.
As of October 30, 2014, work is complete and a final product is available (if applicable) for 10 projects. We are happy to announce that 3 new projects (#11, #13, and #18) moved from yellow to green since my April 2014 update:
- #11: “Comparative 4-County Study in South Central PA,” conducted by the University of Pittsburgh (Dr. Joel Weissfield) under contract with PADOH. Final report received. ATSDR/CDC summary factsheet on ATSDR website at:
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/polycythemia_vera/index.html - #13: “Case Control Study,” conducted by Drexel University (Dr. Carolann Gross-Davis). Drexel PhD dissertation completed. Note, this was the one project out of the 18 that was funded via via a directed appropriation to that university. Please contact Dr. Gross-Davis regarding requests for further information about her report/dissertation via the contact information on her website at http://publichealth.drexel.edu/academics/faculty/Carol%20Ann%20Gross-Davis/.
- #18: “Air/Water Exposure Assessment,” conducted by Equity Environmental Engineering. Two final reports (one on water/hydrogeology and one on air) received. Two ATSDR summary factsheets are on the ATSDR website at:
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/polycythemia_vera/index.html
Final products for another 7 projects are in progress; this is an increase in one project moving from red to yellow (#14) since my August 2014 update. A final product for 1 project (#6) is anticipated but not yet started.
For more information:
Visit ATSDR’s web page on PV: http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/polycythemia_vera/
Call ATSDR’s toll-free PV information line: 866-448-0242 or email jcx0@cdc, which will connect you to Dr. Elizabeth Irvin-Barnwell, ATSDR Division of Toxicology and Human Health Sciences.
Contact Lora Siegmann Werner, ATSDR Region 3, by phone at 215-814-3141 or by email at lkw9@cdc.gov.
Make a difference starting now!
Recycling cell phones helps the environment by saving energy and keeping useable and valuable materials out of landfills and incinerators. It also helps preserve important animal habitats by reducing the demand for Coltan. In addition to recycling cell phones and electronic waste it is critical that consumers demand conflict free electronic devices. You can help the Keystone Clean Water Team and the Environment by recycling your cell phone. ”
If you would like to set up a program to help recycle cellphones at an event, business, or other organization. Through our program we can recycle cell phones, iPods, game systems, and small digital cameras. If your interested, please contact us.
Volunteer
We seek new people at all skill levels for a variety of programs. One thing that everyone can do is attend meetings to share ideas on improving the Program, enabling us to better understand and address the concerns of well owners. We look for people that can forward solid articles, help coordinate local education efforts, and more. Become part of the Keystone Clean Water Team!
Everything we do began with an idea.
We realize your time is precious and the world is hectic. CCGG’s volunteers do only what they’re comfortable with. It can be a little or a lot. Get YOUR WATER Tested – Discounted Screening Tests !
For more information, please go to CCGG’s About Page or contact us.
Keystone Clean Water Team is a 501(c)(3) IRS approved nonprofit, volunteer organization and your donation is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. Unsolicited donations are appreciated (Helps us complete our mission).
Help the Organization and Get Your Water Tested or Order the Private Well Owner Guide (proceeds benefit This Organization). Water Science Basics!
ATSDR/CDC Northeast PA Polycythemia Vera (PV) Investigation Projects Update
Background
In 2004, using state cancer registry records, the Pennsylvania Department of Health (PADOH) found a PV cluster in northeast Pennsylvania. PV is part of a disease group called myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN), which is a group of slow-growing blood cancers where the bone marrow makes too many red blood cells, white blood cells, or platelets.
In 2006, ATSDR was asked to help study PV patterns in the area. From 2007-2008, ATSDR reviewed medical records, conducted genetic testing, and confirmed this PV cluster.
In 2009, Congress funded ATSDR to continue this investigation. ATSDR is overseeing 18 projects with PADOH, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, and various universities and private organizations. These projects are based on recommendations from an expert panel. The panel identified four areas for investigation; epidemiology, genetics, toxicology, and environmental studies.
As of October 1, 2013, all of the contracts for the 18 projects have ended. The last to end was the tissue bank contract, which closed for recruitment of new tissue donations from the PA tri-county study area in May 2014. At this time, no new samples will be added from the tri-county study area, but the geographically identified (but de-identified in terms of personal information) donations from the tri-county study area will continue to be available for researchers to access via this national tissue bank established at the Myleloproliferative Disease Research Consortium (MPD-RC). You can continue to follow the work of the overall MPD-Research Consortium on their website at: http://www.mpd-rc.org/home.php.
Status
The graphic with this email provides this summary as of August 2014. I’ve attached this graphic both as a “snapshot” in the body of this email, as well as a pdf attachment. Projects highlighted in “green” in the attached graphic have work complete and a final product available (if applicable). Projects highlighted in “yellow” have final products in progress and undergoing clearance. Projects highlighted in “red” have final products that are anticipated but not yet started.
As of August 5, 2014, work is complete and a final product is available (if applicable) for 6 projects. We are happy to announce that one new project (#16/17, PADEP’s environmental testing) moved from yellow to green since my May update; we now have a factsheet and final ATSDR health consultation report evaluating an initial set of radiological environmental sampling results from the study area. At the request of ATSDR, PADEP collected and analyzed environmental samples within the tri-county area and ATSDR evaluated the possible health effects of exposure to the radiological elements in the samples. Environmental samples from the cluster area were collected as a component of the overall research investigation into the PV disease cluster:
- Indoor air was analyzed for radon.
- Soil, sediment and water samples were analyzed for metals, organic compounds, and radioactive substances.
This ATSDR public health report focuses on an initial set of the radiological environmental sampling information. Additional reports evaluating other environmental and health information from the PV investigation will be released at a later date.
The ATSDR report found:
- Some houses in the study area had elevated levels of radon gas in indoor air. Radon gas was also found in the private well water of some homes.
- Soils from the study area had slightly elevated levels of radium.
- Without additional information, ATSDR cannot determine if the cluster of cases of PV disease in the tri-county area is related to the radiological exposures observed in the environmental sampling information.
In this report, ATSDR recommends:
- All residents in the study area should have their homes tested for radon gas. Houses with elevated radon levels should be retested. If a home is retested and elevated radon levels continue, residents should contact the state of Pennsylvania radon program hotline at 1-800-237-2366 and request additional information on how to reduce the radon levels in the home.
- People in homes with high levels of radon in their drinking water should contact the PADEP Radon Program for assistance. Home water supplies can be treated to reduce radon levels.
- ATSDR recommends that in those areas where radium in soils seems to be elevated, additional sampling may be helpful to further understand this exposure pathway. ATSDR will discuss the potential for a future collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey to further evaluate levels of radiological contaminants in environmental media in the study area.
These documents are available at:
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/HAC/pha/PolycythemiaVera/Polycythemia%20Vera%20Investigation%20in%20PA_HC_07-22-2014%20FINAL.pdf
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/HAC/pha/PolycythemiaVera/PV%20(Still%20Creek)%20Tri%20County%20-%20FINAL%20Fact%20Sheet%20-%20Review%20of%20Radiological.pdf
Final products for another 9 projects are still in progress and remain coded as yellow. Final products for 2projects are anticipated but not yet started and remain coded as red.
For more information:
Visit ATSDR’s web page on PV: http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/polycythemia_vera/index.html
Call ATSDR’s toll-free PV information line: 866-448-0242 or email jcx0@cdc, which will connect you to Dr. Elizabeth Irvin-Barnwell, ATSDR Division of Toxicology and Human Health Sciences.
Contact Lora Siegmann Werner, ATSDR Region 3, by phone at 215-814-3141 or by email at lkw9@cdc.gov.
Other Resources
1. Radiological Testing and Screening – http://www.water-research.net/index.php/radiological-contaminants
2. Radiological – Testing Parameters – Radon
Pennsylvania Cancer Clusters – Update
Background
In 2004, using state cancer registry records, the Pennsylvania Department of Health (PADOH) found a PV cluster in northeast Pennsylvania. PV is part of a disease group called myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN), which is a group of slow-growing blood cancers where the bone marrow makes too many red blood cells, white blood cells, or platelets.
In 2006, ATSDR was asked to help study PV patterns in the area. From 2007-2008, ATSDR reviewed medical records, conducted genetic testing, and confirmed this PV cluster.
In 2009, Congress funded ATSDR to continue this investigation. ATSDR is overseeing 18 projects with PADOH, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, and various universities and private organizations. These projects are based on recommendations from an expert panel. The panel identified four areas for investigation; epidemiology, genetics, toxicology, and environmental studies.
Status
As of October 1, 2013, all but one of the contracts for the 18 projects have ended. The one exception is the tissue bank, which will remain open for recruitment of new tissue donations from the PA tri-county study area through May 2014. After May 2014, no new samples will be added from the tri-county study area, but the geographically identified (but de-identified in terms of personal information) donations from the tri-county study area will continue to be available for researchers to access via this national tissue bank established at the Myleloproliferative Disease Research Consortium (MPD-RC). You can continue to follow the work of the overall MPD-Research Consortium on their website at: http://www.mpd-rc.org/home.php.
The graphic with this email provides this summary as of April 2014. I’ve attached this graphic both as a “snapshot” in the body of this email, as well as a pdf attachment. Projects highlighted in “green” in the attached graphic have work complete and a final product available (if applicable). Projects highlighted in “yellow” have final products in progress and undergoing clearance. Projects highlighted in “red” have final products that are anticipated but not yet started.
As of May 8, 2014, work is complete and a final product is available (if applicable) for 5 projects. We are happy to announce that one new project (#3) moved from yellow to green since my October update; we now have a factsheet and final publication analyzing the accuracy of PV diagnoses using Geisinger Medical Center’s electronic medical records. This is an important study that highlights that inconsistencies in PV diagnoses and record keeping remain despite more widespread use of the JAK2 genetic marker. These documents are available at:
Note, one of the projects (#1) that was green in my October update moved to yellow since we are now expecting a journal publication for that effort when we were not before. Final products for another 11 projects are in progress; this is an increase in two projects moving from red to yellow since my October update. Final products for 2 projects are anticipated but not yet started (this is a decrease from 4 in this red stage in my October update).
I want to take a personal moment to acknowledge the work of our colleague Dr. Paul Roda. He was the primary author for the work in project #3 that is now available for your review, as well as for projects #1 and #2. Dr. Roda passed away suddenly in November 2013, and I really miss working with him. I am so glad to share some of the results of his work with you. This work remains a testimony to his dedication to this investigation and his profession of hematology.
For more information:
Visit ATSDR’s web page on PV: http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/polycythemia_vera/index.html
Call ATSDR’s toll-free PV information line: 866-448-0242 or email jcx0@cdc, which will connect you to Dr. Elizabeth Irvin-Barnwell, ATSDR Division of Toxicology and Human Health Sciences.
Contact Lora Siegmann Werner, ATSDR Region 3, by phone at 215-814-3141 or by email at lkw9@cdc.gov.
Volunteer
We seek new people at all skill levels for a variety of programs. One thing that everyone can do is attend meetings to share ideas on improving CCGG, enabling us to better understand and address the concerns of well owners. We look for people that can forward solid articles, help coordinate local education efforts, and more. Become part of the Keystone Clean Water Team!.
Everything we do began with an idea.
We realize your time is precious and the world is hectic. CCGG’s volunteers do only what they’re comfortable with. It can be a little or a lot. Get YOUR WATER Tested – Discounted Screening Tests !
For more information, please go to CCGG’s About Page or contact us.
Carbon County Groundwater Guardians is a 501(c)(3) IRS approved nonprofit, volunteer organization and your donation is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. Waiting on Official Name change to the Keystone Clean Water Team by the IRS. Unsolicited donations are appreciated.
Help the Organization and Get Your Water Tested or Order the Private Well Owner Guide (proceeds benefit This Organization).
More:
Professional Education and Training (Continuing Education)
Career Training and Heatlh Care
Information on Groundwater Well Water Quality (Iron, Arsenic, Manganese, and More)
News Release: EPA participates in Blue Mountain tree planting project at Palmerton Zinc Superfund site
PHILADELPHIA (May 22, 2013) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and three partner organizations are planting 5,500 new trees on 70 acres of mountainside at the Palmerton Zinc Superfund Site along the Appalachian Trail in Palmerton, Pa. that will be in place by Memorial Day.
“EPA is proud to be part of this tree planting venture that helps transform a previously barren and contaminated site into a beautiful ecological vista along the Appalachian Trail,” said EPA mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin.
This is the second year of tree planting, which is the final step in re-vegetating Blue Mountain – – a joint effort involving EPA, the National Park Service, the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the American Chestnut Foundation. The area had suffered extensive environmental damage that was caused by years of emissions from zinc smelting operations in the Borough of Palmerton.
Last spring about 8,350 trees were planted. Before the tree planting, EPA and the National Park Service oversaw grass planting and other re-vegetation on a 500-acre section of the site that had to be done from aircraft due to the steep slope and remote location.
National Park Service Northeast Regional Director Dennis Reidenbach noted, “This is an excellent example of how collaborative public and private partnerships can have a meaningful and positive impact for the environment.”
Initially the trees will be protected by deer-proof fencing. The trees include a special mostly American, potentially blight-resistant generation of American chestnut which can help re-establish these trees in the eastern United States. Once prevalent in forests throughout the eastern United States, American Chestnuts were nearly wiped out by a blight causing fungus that was introduced around 1900.
“We are impressed by the interagency cooperation on this project and excited about the prospect of American Chestnuts once again flourishing on the Appalachian Trail,” said American Chestnut Foundation’s Sara Fitzsimmons.
In addition to the chestnut trees, various oaks, Black Gum, Sumacs, Chokeberry and Sweet Ferns will be included. Planting the seeds, seedlings, bare roots and rhizome cuttings will require drilling holes with an auger. The holes will be filled with top soil and a nursery mix.
The tree planting is being paid for by CBS Inc., formerly Viacom International, and the party potentially responsible for the contamination. More information on the Palmerton site see EPA’s website: http://www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/super/sites/PAD002395887/index.htm .
Contact: Bonnie Smith smith.bonnie@epa.gov, 215-814-5543
Volunteer
We seek new people at all skill levels for a variety of programs. One thing that everyone can do is attend meetings to share ideas on improving CCGG, enabling us to better understand and address the concerns of well owners.
Everything we do began with an idea.
We realize your time is precious and the world is hectic. CCGG’s volunteers do only what they’re comfortable with. It can be a little or a lot.
For more information, please go to CCGG’s About Page or contact us.
Carbon County Groundwater Guardians is a 501(c)(3) IRS approved nonprofit, volunteer organization and your donation is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Rep. White calls on state, federal authorities to investigate DEP
Breaking: PA Rep. Jesse White Challenges DEP Over Deceptive Marcellus Shale Water Testing Practices
by Iris Marie Bloom
November 2, 2012
protectingourwaters.wordpress.com/2012/11/02/breaking-pa-rep-jesse-white-challenges-dep-over-deceptive-marcellus-shale-water-testing-practices/
An explosive press release issued yesterday by Pennsylvania State Representative Jesse White alleges formally, based on a deposition by a high-ranking PA DEP official, what many residents of “shale country” in Pennsylvania have been saying for years: that PA DEP water testing data is manipulated in order to avoid disclosing shale gas drilling water impacts to those affected.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported the story 20 minutes ago, “Lawmaker Challenges PA DEP’s Reporting of Gas Well Water Safety.” Read Post-Gazette reporter Don Hopeys’ article here. [ http://pipeline.post-gazette.com/news/archives/24893-lawmaker-challenges-pa-dep-s-reporting-of-gas-well-water-safety ]
Due to the riveting importance of this call for investigation of PA DEP’s integrity, and due to the severe health impacts experienced by some of those whose water has been fouled by shale gas drilling processes in Pennsylvania, we are publishing Rep. Jesse White’s press release in full: [ http://pahouse.com/PR/046110112.asp ]
White calls on state, federal authorities for investigation of DEP over deceptive Marcellus Shale water-quality testing practices
Testimony by DEP lab chief reveals possibility of intentionally undisclosed public health risks from Marcellus Shale gas drilling
HARRISBURG, Nov. 1 – State Rep. Jesse White, D-Allegheny/Beaver/Washington, today called for state and federal law enforcement agencies to investigate the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection for alleged misconduct and fraud revealed by sworn testimony given by a high-ranking DEP official.
White said he received a letter and corresponding documents highlighting the sworn testimony of DEP Bureau of Laboratories Technical Director Taru Upadhyay, who was deposed in a lawsuit alleging nearby natural gas drilling operations contaminated drinking water supplies in Washington County, causing serious health issues. In the deposition, Upadhyay said that the DEP was clearly aware of water impacts from Marcellus Shale drilling, but no notices of violation were filed – a violation of the state’s Oil & Gas Act.
Of more critical concern to Pennsylvania residents, according to White, was that the deposition revealed that the DEP developed a specialized computer-code system to manipulate the test results for residents whose water was tested by the DEP over concerns of adverse effects from gas drilling operations.
According to the transcripts, which have been filed as exhibits in a related lawsuit in Washington County Court of Common Pleas (Haney et al. v. Range Resources et al., Case No. 2012-3534), the DEP lab would conduct water tests using an EPA-approved standard, but the DEP employee who requested the testing would use a specially designed ‘Suite Code’ which limits the information coming back from the DEP lab to the DEP field office, and ultimately to the property owner.
The code in question, Suite Code 942, was used to test for water contamination associated with Marcellus Shale drilling activities, yet specifically screens out results for substances known to be hazardous and associated with Marcellus Shale drilling. Similar codes, Suite Code 943 and 946, are also used by the DEP in similar circumstances; both of these codes omit the presence or levels of drilling-related compounds.
As a result, if Suite Code 942 is applied, the report generated for the homeowner by DEP only includes eight of the 24 metals actually tested for: Barium, Calcium, Iron, Potassium, Magnesium, Manganese, Sodium and Strontium. The homeowner would not be given results for: Silver, Aluminum, Beryllium, Cadium, Cobalt, Chromium, Copper, Nickel, Silicon, Lithium, Molybdenum, Tin, Titanium, Vandium, Zinc and Boron.
“This is beyond outrageous. Anyone who relied on the DEP for the truth about whether their water has been impacted by drilling activities has apparently been intentionally deprived of critical health and safety information by their own government,” White said. “There is no excuse whatsoever to justify the DEP conducting the water tests and only releasing partial information to residents, especially when the information withheld could easily be the source of the problem. This goes beyond incompetence; this is unlawful and reprehensible activity by the DEP. If these allegations are true, there needs to be a thorough and objective investigation to determine if someone belongs in a jail cell.”
White continued: “I am not releasing this information to hurt Marcellus Shale development in Pennsylvania, but to help ensure the reality matches the rhetoric. The Marcellus boom was built on the assumption that the DEP was competent and capable of balancing the positive impacts of the industry with its job of keeping residents safe and secure, but we now know that simply isn’t the case. Like most of us, I want the Marcellus Shale industry to succeed by doing things the right way, so it is crucial to find out what exactly the DEP was up to. If the system is indeed rigged, we must do everything in our power to root out corruption and restore public confidence in our ability to have an honest conversation with one another about developing a responsible energy policy for Pennsylvania.”
Due to the strong possibility of unlawful conduct, White is calling on the U.S. Attorney’s office, the Environmental Protection Agency, state Attorney General Linda Kelly and any other appropriate law enforcement agency to pursue an investigation of the DEP to discover the scope and depth of this scheme to withhold important information from Pennsylvanians. White is also sending a letter to the National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (NJ-NELAP), to investigate whether the DEP’s conduct and practices violated the accreditation standards for the DEP laboratories. If accreditation standards were violated, White is requesting the DEP’s accreditation be stripped, rendering the agency unable to conduct and certify its own tests.
White said he is sending a letter to DEP Secretary Michael Krancer seeking a summary of how many constituents in his legislative district, which includes communities with high levels of Marcellus Shale drilling activity, had DEP tests done using Suite Codes 942, 943 or 946. White also intends to make a blanket request on behalf of his constituents that DEP release the full testing data directly to the individual property owners in question.
Any Pennsylvania resident who received water quality test results from the DEP should look for the number 942, 943 or 946 as a ‘Suite Code’ or ‘Standard Analysis’. White encouraged anyone with questions to contact his district office at 724-746-3677 for more information and noted that the property owner should be entitled to the complete testing results from DEP.
“This isn’t a technicality, and it isn’t something which can be ignored,” White said. “We are talking about people’s health, safety and welfare. The sworn testimony from inside the DEP about a scheme to withhold vital information about potential water contamination is truly alarming. An investigation is necessary to answer these serious allegations.”
The letter sent to Rep. White alerting him of these issues can be found at:http://www.scribd.com/doc/111821139
The deposition of TaruUpadhyay, technical director of PA DEP Laboratory can be found at:http://www.scribd.com/doc/111821978
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Take Action: Speak Up
Beyond absorbing this important news, this is the time to write your letters to the editor and otherwise speak in public, including direct confrontation at public meetings, to demand an immediate halt on on high-volume hydraulic fracturing in Pennsylvania. Residents and workers’ health is being hurt, yet the industry is keeping toxic secrets, with help from far too many friends in high places.
Not to be forgotten in our outrage over PA public officials’ betrayal of public health: the big picture. Fracking accelerates climate change. Even as we post this, over 1.6 million people are without power from mega-storm Sandy; the death toll continues to rise. Extreme weather events are occurring, and will occur, more frequently and with greater severity due to climate change. Climate change is the greatest single threat to all of our health. Whether you drink water from a well that could be impacted — and you now know you are not protected by either our state or federal authorities — or whether you breathe air already impacted by the hundreds of thousands of diesel-powered truck trips, flowback waste emissions, compressor station emissions and pipeline leaks inherent in fracking; or whether you want our people to stop escalating the ravages of global warming, now is the time to speak up and demand change.
Blood disease: No answer
www.tnonline.com/2012/sep/21/blood-disease-no-answer
Friday, September 21, 2012
By DONALD R. SERFASS dserfass@tnonline.com
DONALD R. SERFASS/TIMES NEWS A portion of the crowd at the Tamaqua Public Library on Thursday listens to an update on the status of a rare blood disease found in the local area in 2004.
A government agency provided a status update Thursday on research into a rare blood disease found in our area.
But the update left locals frustrated.
Joe Murphy, Hometown, voiced exasperation due to the slow pace of progress. Murphy represents the Citizens Advisory Committee and said he and his group would like to see improved flow of information and a more open approach.
“After six years, all I can say is where’s the beef,” said Murphy at the conclusion of an informal update provided by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR).
The session drew over 50 concerned residents to the Tamaqua Public Library, where Lora Siegmann Werner and Dr. Elizabeth Irvin-Barnwell, both of the ATSDR, were on hand to respond to public questions. Also available were officials from the Pennsylvania Department of Health, the Department of Environmental Protection and several project partners.
The update included progress reports on 18 projects funded through $7.9M in government grants aimed at getting to the bottom of the cause of clusters of a disease that makes too many blood cells. The condition, polycythemia vera (PV), has been found at an alarming rate in Schuylkill, Carbon and Luzerne counties.
Among the new information provided by Irvin-Barnwell:
- 77 participants have been enrolled in an epidemiologic study through the University of Pittsburgh. The study compares the pattern of PV occurrences in the commonwealth.
- More accurate physician reporting of PV cases. This step is complete and the cases are undergoing internal quality control and data analysis.
- Physician education has been completed with regard to diagnosis, reporting and treating of PV cases.
- The Tri-County area case study is under way and 55 people with one of a number of slow-moving blood cancers have been recruited along with 473 people without the condition. Medical records are being examined for accuracy.
- A genetic study is under way with a review of blood samples from 39 volunteers to see if patients in the cluster area are genetically prone to develop PV. Gene profiling also is under way.
- Other studies under way include detection of a JAK2 mutation, recruitment for a tissue bank, and toxicology assay to evaluate whether 18 environmental contaminants can cause DNA damage.
- An air and water sampling plan has been finalized and samples are being collected. Air modeling is complete.
- Creation of a database for federal, state and other data relating to possible human exposures to contaminants from hazardous waste sites, industries, or businesses that release toxic substances has been completed. The data warehouse contains 100,000 samples and 2.5 million records for 2,700 substances.
- Environmental testing near the McAdoo Superfund site, three waste coal burning plants, and residential sampling have been collected and analyzed. The ATSDR is evaluating results.
- Murphy expressed concern that funding for the Citizens Advisory Committee was curtailed in January, 2010, and the ATSDR’s chief investigator, Dr. Vince Seaman, left for Nigeria in 2010 on a separate endeavor and is not due back until next year.
“Citizens have had a role in this … but we haven’t had a lot of money,” Joe Murphy, Hometown, addressing the public forum on polycythemia vera held at the Tamaqua Public Library. Funding for the citizens advisory group was cut in 2010.
Those setbacks, among others, have dealt a blow to local initiatives, said Murphy.
He is hoping the Betty Kester Alliance for a Healthy Future can step in to pick up the slack.
“Our goal is to continue to explore,” said Murphy.
“We’ll continue to have more of these updates,” says Dr. Irvin-Barnwell.
Kester and her husband, Lester, were Still Creek residents. Both developed PV. They are now deceased.
There have been 2,099 cases of PV reported in Pennsylvania. Of those, 227, or 10.8 percent, are found in Schuylkill, Carbon and Luzerne counties.
Hazleton Oil accused of dumping hazardous materials
Hazleton Oil and Environmental Inc. is alleged to have dumped contaminated soil, stored hazardous waste and discharged antifreeze into sewer drains at their Banks Township location without a state permit, according to an affidavit of probable cause for a warrant authorizing searches at three properties.
Numerous other allegations are listed in paperwork that authorized agents from the state Attorney General’s Office to execute search warrants Tuesday at the firm’s locations at 300 Tamaqua St. (state Route 309) in Banks Township, 14 Fairview St. in Barnesville and 620 Quarry Road in Harleysville, Montgomery County.
The attorney general’s office initiated the criminal investigation based on information from DEP, the court papers state.
Agents seized 85 boxes of materials over the past four days including work orders, price lists, invoices, environmental records, hazardous materials files, recycled oil receipts, transfer files, state Department of Environmental Protection documents, halogen testing analyses, permits, customer files, annual operation reports and truck driver records, according to the court documents.
Also seized were maps, test kits, vials, sample bottles, computers, laptops, digital drives, hard drives, storage tapes, floppy disks and CDs, electronic storage assistants, zip disks and forensic examiner drives. They include devices that can store information dating to 2001, according to the warrant and affidavit.
The special agents from the Attorney General’s Office, Bureau of Criminal Investigations, Environmental Crimes Section, filed the seized items with courts in Carbon, Schuylkill and Montgomery counties to build a case alleging violations of the Solid Waste Management Act and unlawful conduct, the court documents state.
Several former employees were interviewed by investigators, the documents state, while an eyewitness account of a special agent also revealed a number of alleged violations that took place in 2010 and 2011.
They include mixing oil samples with recycled oil, altering analytical reports by switching off-spec waste oil with on-spec waste oil, and mixing hazardous waste oil with less-contaminated waste oil and selling the blended oil as reprocessed waste oil, the court papers state.
Other alleged practices by Hazleton Oil and Environmental include mixing antifreeze and oil in the same compartment, dumping antifreeze down the drain and pumping untested waste oil into storage tanks at the Banks Township facility. Also, the company is alleged to have misrepresented oil to customers and billed customers for oil they did not receive.
In addition, the documents allege that oil with high levels of halogen and PCBs leaked out of a truck on-site.
The court papers also allege that the firm stored hazardous waste oil for periods longer than allowed, and mixed waste oil with reprocessed oil then sold it as reprocessed oil.
Also, quarterly waste water samples were altered by company officials at its tank farm in Barnesville, authorities allege.
Agents searched and seized evidence from the warehouse, storage building, storage tanks and lots in Banks Township. They looked at different forms of solid waste; samples of soil, water and other liquids, and soil samples of allegedly contaminated media, court papers state. The agents also looked at vehicles that transported oil, waste antifreeze, emulsions, and at several bottles and vials of samples on-site.
The court papers say Hazleton Oil and Environmental is in the business of hauling waste oil as well as media contaminated by waste oil. The company also reprocesses “off-spec” waste oil and sells it as fuel. Its business operations extend into several mid-Atlantic states including Pennsylvania.
On April 21, 2003, Broadus Bordeaux Enterprises, LLP, registered with the state corporation bureau listing its principal place of business as the Harleysville address and the company president as Sloane R. Six.
The court documents state that on Dec. 28, 2009, Broadus’ status as a limited liability partnership was terminated for failure to file an annual registration with the state corporation bureau for five consecutive years. However, by Feb. 28, 2011, the company was reinstated as an LLP after coming back in compliance with registration requirements.
The corporate address was changed to 300 Tamaqua St., Hazleton. Six was identified as CEO, Scott Clemens as vice president and Danny Clemens as operations manager on the corporate website.
A statement issued by the company earlier this week said it was cooperating with investigators and would comment further once it learns more about the focus of the investigation.
citizensvoice.com/news/hazleton-oil-accused-of-dumping-hazardous-materials-1.1333717
By Tom Ragan (Staff Writer)
Published: June 23, 2012
tragan@standardspeaker.com
Air quality concerns raised as gas compressor stations multiply
The number of natural gas compressor stations planned for Northeastern Pennsylvania is multiplying as companies lay more pipelines to carry Marcellus Shale gas to customers.
The state has issued or is considering 29 air quality permits for separate stations in the northeast region, all of them in Susquehanna, Wyoming and Luzerne counties, according to a tally by the Department of Environmental Protection. Nearly two dozen of the permits are for stations planned within a 15-mile radius of the Susquehanna County seat in Montrose.
DEP has issued 383 of the permits statewide since October 2005, according to the agency’s tally. Not all of the permitted stations have been built and some may never materialize.
The permits cover facilities related to gas production, including compressor stations and dehydration units that strip liquid from the gas and speed it up for transport through interstate pipelines.
Each station emits a mix of pollutants – volatile organic compounds (VOCs), nitrogen oxides (NOx), formaldehyde and greenhouse gasses – in varying amounts that are limited by the type of permit governing the site.
Residents concerned about the proliferating stations’ impact on air quality have brought basic questions to public hearings in the region that are sometimes held as the state considers issuing permits: How many compressor stations will be built here? What is the combined impact of all these new pollution sources? When, if ever, can the state say stop?
The state considers the cumulative effect of the compressors using an existing network of monitoring stations that measure the ambient air quality, mostly in urban areas, Mark Wejkszner, DEP’s regional air quality program manager, told an audience at a hearing this spring in Susquehanna County. The closest monitors are in Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, about 30 miles away.
Pollution levels above federal air quality standards measured at those stations would determine if the state issues fewer or stricter permits, he said, but “right now, we’re in compliance with all of them with a lot of leeway.”
Environmental groups have criticized the state in lawsuits, letters to federal regulators and in public comments on proposed permits and regulations arguing that DEP is not doing all it can under the law to limit the amount of pollution the oil and gas facilities are allowed to emit.
They say that the state’s current air quality monitoring network is inadequate to measure the impacts of gas drilling and infrastructure in rural areas far from the established monitors clustered in population centers and point out that it is too late now – years into the development of the gas-rich shale – to measure what the air was like before the wells, pipelines and compressors were built.
“DEP does not have a comprehensive monitoring program to monitor contaminants in the air throughout the shale play regions of the state,” PennFuture president George Jugovic Jr. said. “We’re not monitoring for VOCs in these rural areas. We’re not monitoring for toxics. Having already begun this development, baseline is not really a question anymore. Now the question is can we get monitoring to ensure there are no local or regional impacts as we move forward.”
Jugovic was the director of DEP’s southwest regional office prior to joining PennFuture last year. He testified at a state House Democratic Policy Committee hearing in February that his former regional office alone has permitted over 13,000 tons per year of NOx emissions from compressor stations. If each station emitted the maximum allowed by its permit, it would add up to about 10 percent of the NOx emissions from all sources of air pollution statewide.
Nitrogen oxides, which are commonly released in car exhaust and cigarette smoke and by burning fossil fuels, can contribute to respiratory problems and lung damage on their own as well as when they are combined with sunlight and volatile organic compounds to form smog.
Environmental groups also say the state is not using a tool frequently enough that would limit emissions by considering connected wells, pipelines and compressors owned by the same company and built near one another as one pollution source governed by one, stricter permit – a process called aggregation.
None of the oil and gas air pollution sources permitted in Northeastern Pennsylvania have been aggregated, a DEP spokeswoman said, but all of them have been evaluated to see if the aggregation rules apply.
“It’s like a cumulative impact assessment,” Jugovic said. “If you look at each pollution source individually, it never looks like a significant impact on the air or the water. But whenever you look at it more holistically, you start seeing a bigger potential impact, which may lead you to regulate it differently.”
Read more
Researchers making new push in cancer cluster search
www.mcall.com/news/local/mc-tamaqua-cancer-cluster-20120430,0,6418002.story
By Andrew McGill, Of The Morning Call
11:26 p.m. EDT, April 30, 2012
After a long year, Pennsylvania’s coal country still knows only three things for sure.
People are getting cancer in the region, rare cancer. They’re dying. And no one can say why.
In a Centers for Disease Control investigation that has already stretched seven years and is likely to last several more, researchers are returning to Carbon, Luzerne and Schuylkill counties in force next week, setting up shop in hospitals to interview the sick and collect data.
Their question is the same as last year’s, and the year before that, and the year before that: Exactly how many people have the blood-thickening cancer that, while supposedly rare, seems all too common in the three counties?
“We’re really hoping to get one last wave of interviews and consents here,” said Jeanine Buchanich, a researcher at the University of Pittsburgh working with the CDC. “As it draws to a close it’s growing more and more important that people get back to us.”
Polycythemia vera puts the body’s blood-producing cells into overdrive, clogging arteries with up to five times as many red blood cells as normal. Itching, headaches and fatigue are the milder symptoms — if left untreated, the cancer can form fatal blood clots.
The most popular treatment tends to the medieval: bloodletting, which goes by “phlebotomy” these days and has been shown to reduce congestion in arteries. But a fancier name doesn’t make the process any more pleasant, and patients need treatment as often as once a month.
Nationwide, researchers think only one in 100,000 people have the disease. Scientists say that percentage is much higher in coal country, and the CDC has officially labeled the area a cancer cluster since 2005, a rare designation from a cautious agency.
More than $8 million has been spent to find out what’s making people sick. Two universities — the University of Pittsburgh and Drexel University — are conducting studies. A pair of hospitals are running their own tests.
It hasn’t been easy going.
Of the 340 potential Polycythemia vera patients Pitt scientists have contacted, only 80 have agreed to hand over their medical records. Even the promise of $50 gift cards couldn’t persuade the 30 people who refused to participate, or the hundreds more who haven’t responded.
Buchanich hopes her full-court press for more participants May 8-10 will change a few minds, but it is looking likely the study will end with far fewer subjects than she had hoped.
“We’re hoping to get that number as high as we can before we have to close the study,” Buchanich said. “We’ll be kind of dependent on how this goes.”
Then there’s the local community, which has watched its seat at the table shrink as the investigation continues. Funding for a liaison group linking research scientists and residents ended last year, and volunteers are still months away from securing the nonprofit status that would allow them to raise money.
In the meantime, many residents have doubts about the state Department of Environmental Protection’s investigation into environmental factors. Pennsylvania’s coal country has no lack of those, with toxic dumps from a long industrial history still festering in hills and crannies. Every resident has a theory for which spill or leak made their neighbors sick.
But a 28-point list of concerns to the CDC — why aren’t investigators sampling air inside homes? Will coal dust be considered as a possible cause? — was largely dismissed by the agency, with officials siding with their hired contractor.
Local activists say the lack of funding means they won’t be able to weigh in on study methodology before tests are conducted. As of late, federal officials haven’t even told them what’s going on, they say.
It was the residents who first brought to light the fact that their friends were dying, said Joe Murphy, coordinator of the Community Action Committee, a coal region group.
“And now we’re being told, ‘Thanks, see you later,'” he said. “We’re tossed to the side.”
andrew.mcgill@mcall.com
610-820-6533
Copyright © 2012, The Morning Call