Protecting private wells (Part 2)

The Safe Drinking Water Act only applies to public water systems and does not protect private wells. While many owners of private water wells have never had their wells tested, the arrival of natural gas exploration in the Upper Delaware River region is stirring interest to do so.

Protecting private wells

Part two: Which tests and why?

By SANDY LONG

Click HERE for Part 1.

PENNSYLVANIA – Residents of Meadville and Dimock continue to live with contaminated water wells as the companies drilling for natural gas nearby strive to meet Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) directives to restore those water sources. Such impacts have stirred concerns among those who depend on private water wells for their drinking water, prompting questions about the best ways to protect this priceless and irreplaceable resource.

It is estimated that three million Pennsylvanians depend on private wells for their drinking water.

In Pennsylvania, a natural gas well can be drilled within 200 feet of a drinking water source and within 100 feet of many streams and springs, as well as any wetland greater than one acre in size.

Natural gas extraction in the Marcellus Shale utilizes a process known as hydro-fracturing to release gases stored deep underground. For each well, several million gallons of water that may contain sand, oils, gels, acids, alcohols and various manmade organic chemicals are used to fracture underground formations. The potential impacts of the process have begun to raise awareness of the need to test private wells before drilling begins to establish baseline readings of the quality and quantity of water in a given well.

It’s a wakeup call for the roughly 50 percent of private well owners who have never had their wells tested, according to a recent study by the Center for Rural Pennsylvania (CRP), a legislative agency of the Pennsylvania General Assembly. The CRP released its report “Drinking Water Quality in Rural Pennsylvania” in January 2009. Of the other 50 percent of wells tested, most had only been assessed for bacteria, with 14 percent of the 701 wells studied in the survey showing contamination with E. coli bacteria and 33 percent testing positive for coliform bacteria.

As well owners scramble to learn what they should be testing for, most agencies start by recommending annual testing for coliform bacteria, with routine testing for pH and total dissolved solids.

Beyond the basics, homeowners whose water sources will be in the vicinity of a gas well are advised to seek additional testing to establish baseline data before drilling begins. Water wells within 1,000 feet of a gas well will likely be tested in advance by the drilling companies to preserve their defense and homeowners are entitled to a copy of those test results.

Water quality and quantity

According to the Penn State Cooperative Extension (PSCE), gas well waste fluids typically contain pollutants above levels considered safe for drinking water supplies. The pollutants include salts, metals and materials such as surfactants, detergents, oil, grease, benzene and toluene. The fracking process leaves some of this wastewater underground, and the rest is usually stored in open pits until it is trucked to treatment facilities.

Private water well owners may also want to establish their well’s output by hiring a well driller or water consultant to document the flow of water from their well before drilling begins. As noted in “Gas Well Drilling and Your Private Water Supply” by the PSCE, “Unlike water quality impacts, gas well operators are not presumed responsible for water quantity impacts to nearby water suppliesÖ. Impacts to water quantity would need to be investigated by DEP inspectors and/or proven by the water supply owner.”

Additional protection related to a type of seismic testing called “3D” may also be in order. Used to gather geologic information, the testing utilizes explosive charges detonated in three-inch diameter holes that are typically 20 feet deep. According to PSCE, there are no regulations to protect water supplies from seismic testing. Holes should be immediately filled to prevent groundwater contamination and water quantity should be documented in advance. A list of water well contractors certified by the National Ground Water Association is available at www.wellowner.org.

If a lease has not yet been signed, many protections can be negotiated in advance. Some to consider are: setback distances greater than 200 feet from water sources; pre-and post-drilling water testing and well-flow documentation paid for by the gas companies; stipulation of which water sources on your property can or can not be used for drilling purposes; and storage and disposal restrictions of drilling waste materials.

Pennsylvania’s long history of providing natural resources such as anthracite coal has left an environmental legacy with sometimes substantial costs to current and future generations. While introducing companion Senate and House bills to amend the Safe Drinking Water Act, Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) said, “We have old natural gas wells that were not capped and leak methane into homes in Versailles, PA. We have acid mine drainage that we spend millions of dollars every year to try and remediate. These examples are the lessons from which we need to learn.”

Who recommends what?

PA DEP spokesman Tom Rathbun notes that private well owners should select tests based on their specific concerns. Each concern has different water-quality parameters for which samples should be analyzed. “Since there are no statewide water well construction standards and studies have shown that on average 30 to 40 percent of private water wells have coliform bacteria contamination and in carbonate aquifers the average can be 60 to 70 percent, total coliform bacteria tests should be done annually ($10 – $25 per sample), pH and total dissolved solids should be done at least every three years ($10 – $30 per sample). Other inorganics are suggested as well: nitrate, iron, manganese, sulfate ($40 – $60 per sample). Additional inorganics for oil and gas: barium & chloride ($15 – $25).”

Additional PA DEP-suggested “Pre-drill Analyses Parameters” listed on a handout at a recent water protection workshop by Penn State Cooperative Extension include: magnesium, strontium, sodium, calcium, oil and grease, methane, ethane, conductivity and hardness.

According to Rathbun, the DEP recommends that water supply testing be conducted by a certified laboratory to assure that proper sampling and analytical procedures are followed. The DEP maintains a list of certified labs at www.depweb.state.pa.us/labs/cwp/view.asp?a=3&Q=515609&labsNav=

DEP supports the Master Well Owner Network, which maintains links and resources for private water well information at mwon.cas.psu.edu/Resources.htm.

Testing recommendations from Penn State Cooperative Extension (PSCE) are available at pubs.cas.psu.edu/FreePubs/pdfs/XH0023.pdf . In addition to total coliform, pH, nitrates and total dissolved solids, PSCE recommends testing for chloride, sodium, lead, strontium and barium in relation to gas drilling. Once test results are received, they can be evaluated using the Drinking Water Interpretation Tool (DWIT), available at www.psiee.psu.edu/water/dwit.asp .

PSCE notes that samples meant to document existing drinking water quality should be collected by a disinterested third party to preserve “the admissibility of the results in any legal action related to pollution of a private water supply.”

PSCE has developed a two-part course on CD titled, “Gas Well Drilling and Private Water Supplies,” for $10, which illustrates how drilling can impact private wells and offers strategies to protect water supplies. For more information contact Peter Wulfhorst at 570/296-3400. See additional resources at water.cas.psu.edu/Resources.htm .

The regional activist group Damascus Citizens for Sustainability (DCS) recommends selecting from tests that range in price from $5 to $125. Packages can cost over $400 and do not include charges for collection by laboratory personnel. DCS advises that water tests should be done at least a month before drilling begins and continues for one year, then should be repeated. According to DCS, test findings are admissible in court only when the water samples for testing are obtained by laboratory personnel.

There is an additional fee for laboratory personnel to collect water samples, dependent upon the distance that must be traveled. Several households may elect to have their water samples collected on the same day to share costs. Ongoing monitoring tests should be done every six months or if problems are suspected. Such monitoring can be performed by the well owner. If contamination is detected, then certified testing should be done.

DCS recommends the following: tests for acid, brine, bulk organic chemicals used to thicken drilling mud, oil and grease, fracking fluid additives, underground chemicals released by drilling and hydraulic fracturing and contamination due to inadequate aquifer protection while drilling. The list of tests, sources for their selection and their costs are available at www.damascuscitizens.org .

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends that water well owners test annually for nitrates, total coliform bacteria, pH, and total dissolved solids. The EPA upholds the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), which was originally passed in 1974 to protect public health by regulating the nation’s public drinking water supply. However, the SDWA only applies to public water systems, and does not protect private wells. Individual well owners have primary responsibility for the safety of the water drawn from their wells.