Rural road program aims to keep dirty runoff out of streams amid drilling boom
citizensvoice.com/news/rural-road-program-aims-to-keep-dirty-runoff-out-of-streams-amid-drilling-boom-1.1408078 By Laura Legere (staff writer) Published: November 25, 2012 DIMOCK TWP. – Everywhere Tim Ziegler travels dirt tracks and gravel roads in rural Pennsylvania, he sees an insidious threat of pollution beneath his tires. Sediment is the largest pollutant by volume in the commonwealth’s streams, degrading water quality, smothering natural vegetation and destroying fish… Read more
In wake of Hurricane Sandy, disinfect contaminated wells
live.psu.edu/story/62416#nw69 Monday, November 5, 2012 UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — As the Northeast begins the recovery process in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, a water-quality specialist in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences is urging those who rely on private water supplies to guard against possible flood contamination of their wells. In areas where flooding occurred,… Read more
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… Read more
Fracking risks reduce value of properties
New economic study: Fracking risks reduce value of properties dependent on groundwater switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/amall/new_economic_study_fracking_ri.html November 1, 2012 Amy Mall, Senior Policy Analyst, Washington, D.C. There is a new National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)* working paper, from researchers at Resources for the Future and Duke University, on the effect that proximity to a shale gas well… Read more
New Well Owners Booklet Answers Many Questions
New Well Owners Booklet Answers Many Questions When should you test your water? And what should you test it for? WILKES-BARRE, PA—October 1, 2012—Brian Oram, a professional geologist and soil scientist and founder of B.F. Environmental Consultants, announced today that his firm is making available “The Pennsylvania Guide for Groundwater for Private Well Owners: What… Read more
Pennsylvania Groundwater Symposium
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS [ http://agsci.psu.edu/pawaterabstract ] Pennsylvania Groundwater Symposium May 8, 2013 Penn State University, University Park, PA Abstract Deadline is December 3, 2012 Abstracts can be submitted at: http://agsci.psu.edu/pawaterabstract In celebration of National Drinking Water Week, Penn State Extension’s Master Well Owner Network and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection along with numerous other… Read more
Cabot’s Methodology Links Tainted Water Wells to Gas Fracking
www.businessweek.com/news/2012-10-02/cabot-s-methodology-links-tainted-water-wells-to-gas-fracking By Mark Drajem and Jim Efstathiou Jr. on October 02, 2012 Methane in two Pennsylvania water wells has a chemical fingerprint that links it to natural gas produced by hydraulic fracturing, evidence that such drilling can pollute drinking water. The data, collected by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, are significant because the composition of… Read more
Research looks at hydrology, soil constraints to shale-gas development
live.psu.edu/story/61270#nw69 Thursday, September 13, 2012 UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Across the Appalachian Plateau in Pennsylvania, 50 to 70 percent of shale-gas pads are being developed on slopes that could be prone to erosion and sedimentation problems, according to researchers in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences. The potential for erosion problems is substantial because of… Read more
Environmental protection takes a significant hit
citizensvoice.com/news/environmental-protection-takes-a-significant-hit-1.1359308 Published: August 16, 2012 State environmental regulators told The Associated Press last year that they spend as little as 35 minutes reviewing each of thousands of permit applications for natural gas wells, even though the environment surrounding each well is unique to that site. Gov. Tom Corbett’s reaction? That’s not fast enough. After cutting… Read more
EPA says Dimock water safe, but Cabot still can’t drill there
U.S. EPA yesterday ended the latest chapter in the turbulent drilling dispute in Dimock, Pa., finding that contaminant levels in its water show no health threat and no connection to hydraulic fracturing chemicals. Because of that, the agency said, it will stop delivering water to four households in the small northeastern Pennsylvania community that was… Read more
