Dimock, PA – Court Case Status – March 1, 2016
The Dimock Court Case is live. The following are links to a number of articles about the case.
Federal trial begins in the case of Dimock’s water contamination
Dimock resident takes the stand against Cabot Oil and Gas
High-Profile Trial Begins in Dimock, PA Water Contamination Case
Source of Water Contamination at Issue
Ruling on Data – 300 exhibits not submitted -“because Lewis failed to notify Cabot’s attorneys she intended to present the evidence until a few weeks before the trial, which is a violation of court rules that govern when information must be disclosed to the opposing party”.
Dimock Trial Update: Plaintiffs’ Expert Witness Exposed as Fracktivist
Philly News – “Two Dimock Families” (March 4, 2016)
It would have been nice to see more reporters in the court room during the case – Here is why – Also – it is always critical to read past the headline.
From the preliminary information, it would seem the trial transcript will be interesting reading and may be a great educational tool and good for a course on ethics. This quote is interesting – is this a conflict of interest ? – “maintain objectivity and personal integrity,” he directed that his fee be paid to a nonprofit charity of his choice.”
Apparently, jurors like clean water -“It is obvious from their decision, however, that they believe their fellow citizens are entitled to clean water regardless of the legal or regulatory prerogatives of nearby industrial enterprises. ….. During the trial, Cabot also showed there was no proven physical connection underground between its gas wells and the water wells.”
Post Trial Motions and other Actions (Please Note this is a Cabot Page) , but it is worth reading. Again I am looking forward to reading the actual transcripts of the case because the quotes from the site are very interesting. If you are aware of a plaintiff website with their time line and info – please share so we can add a link. Document that indicates it was a summary of fact. (Again – if there is a plaintiff website with content – please share).
Just some thoughts
- It is critical to conduct proper baseline testing – new phone app describes this process – Know Your H20? “Baseline Testing“.
Wayne County Pennsylvania “EDIBLE YARDS” and FREE Seed Swap
FREE forum “EDIBLE YARDS” and FREE Seed Swap
SEEDS (Sustainable Energy Education & Development Support) kicks off its 2016 education series with a free forum on Edible Yards to be held Tuesday, March 29 from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm at the Park Street Complex, 648 Park Street in Honesdale.
Learn how to grow healthy food while becoming more self-reliant and creating a bio-diverse environment for a healthy planet.
Several expert panelists will share their tips and tricks on topics including
raising chickens, foraging, growing fruit trees, beekeeping, and much more. In addition, members from the Audubon Society and Master Gardeners will be part of this informative event with plenty of time for Q & A.
No space? No problem! Learn about Honesdale’s Community Garden that provides plots for residents.
SEEDS will also be hosting a free Seed Swap. Bring seeds you’ve collected from your own garden or extra seeds you’ve purchased, and share with others.
Come and participate in this fun and informative evening.
Baked goods and light refreshments will be served. There will also be door prizes.
SEEDS (Sustainable Energy Education and Development Support) is a non-profit organization that promotes energy efficiency, renewable energy and sustainable living. Visit www.seedsgroup.net to join our newsletter list to be notified of all our upcoming free forums.
Training Courses on Green Infrastructure, Sustainability, Alternative Energy, and More.
Hazards in Your Community ? Get Your Report – Know Your H20?
Audubon “Birds and Climate” Wayne County Pennsylvania
The Audubon “Birds and Climate” report will be presented at 6:30pm on February 25, 2016 at the Himalayan Institute in Bethany, PA by Barbara Leo, Conservation Chair of the Northeast PA Audubon Society. This will be a power point program illustrating the current concerns for 314 species of North American birds that are facing severe threats to their survival. You will learn how this can to averted and ways you can help. Call (570)253-2364 for more information- other programs.
Self-Help and other Training –
Meditation, Yoga, Holistic Care, Reiki and more
How to Reduce Lead in Your Drinking Water
Lead has been a hot new topic, but not for the Keystone Clean Water Team. We have been talking about and educating the public, private well users, and city water users about lead and drinking water quality for over 30 years. Here are some suggestions to reduce lead in your drinking water.
- Flush your pipes before using the water for drinking – most of the lead in the water is not coming from the water source, but from the piping in your home or the main water line. Lead may be also coming some of the fixtures or some of the scale that as built up over time on the inside of the pipes. The longer the water has been sitting in the piping – the higher the lead content – “SO flush it out”. (How Long? – about 2 minutes or until it becomes noticeably cold). Hint- “Most of the time the source is your water pipes, NOT the main.”
- Use ONLY Cold Water for Consumption – this includes making soup, tea, coffee, etc. Hot water likely contains even more lead. Also – watch the cookware ! Glazed pottery and some glazing used tableware and cookware can contain lead and other metals, like aluminum. (Watch imported and traditional Goods and replicas !)
- Get the Water Tested – Ask the Utility to Test, Contact a Testing Laboratory, or conduct an Informational Water Test from a reliable source, but get the facts and do a first flush and flushed test for copper, lead, and zinc. If you think there is a problem and you have a private water system or well, you may want a more comprehensive test to determine the corrosion and/or scale forming potential of your water.
- If you have slime coating or odors – Get a bacterial test that includes total coliform, standard plate count, E. coli., and slime forming bacteria.
Hints You May Have A Lead Problem
- Your home has faucets or fitting made of brass that contains some lead.
- Your home has lead pipes.
- Your home has copper pipes with lead solder and the home is older than 1989, the water is soft, and the water is used intermittently.
- You have pin hole leak, blue-green stains, or blue water.
- Your home was built before 1930s.
- Piping installed prior to 1986 may have solder and flux that was high in lead – How High? At one time as high as 50 % lead. In 1986, the term lead-free applies to solders and flux that are 0.2 % lead and pipes and fittings must be 8 % or less lead. This did not go into effect until about 1988.
More on Corrosion and More on Lead. Indoor testing of paint and sources for lead.
Blood lead levels PA cities.
Please do not forget about environmental lead exposure and note foreign products may have more lead- old paint, chipping paint, glazed pottery, some cosmetics, lipstick, some Lead Awareness, kids toys (especially imported), imported foods in cans, work exposure to lead, lead batteries, imported candles, lead contaminated soils. (Sources- NY State; FDA)
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Please note – This is one reason to Buy – Made in America !
We have been asked for a recommendation on a faucet mounted or counter mounted treatment system – Based on a review – it appears the NSF Certified – Paragon P3200 would be a suitable Countertop Treatment Unit (replace filter cartridge annually)- Use Promo Code A27AC.
Norweco New At Grade Bed For Residential Wastewater Applications in Pennsylvania
Norweco is excited to announce our at-grade bed approval for our Singulair® residential wastewater treatment system! We are proud to offer Pennsylvania the most affordable and effective residential onsite wastewater treatment system. Our Singulair® system, accompanied by our award-winning Hydro-Kinetic Bio-Film Reactor®, produces a clear, odorless effluent that is safely returned to the drain field (NO SAND MOUND REQUIRED).
The Singulair® system has been approved and used for decades in North America and continues to lead the way in today’s market. Certified and proven in hundreds of thousands of installations, the Singulair®, in series with our Hydro-Kinetic Bio-Film Reactor®, is the most innovative, state-of-the-art wastewater treatment system. Consider these advantages:
- Precast concrete & HDPE tanks include pretreatment
- Non-mechanical, demand use, built-in flow equalization (surge control) and filtration
- Low electrical usage
- Simple to install and maintain
- No large replacement expenses
- Environmentally safe – no harmful product to replace
Norweco systems are available state-wide through our network of dedicated, hard-working local distributors. For additional information on design applications or where you can purchase Singulair® systems, give Paul Cannon a call at (419)668-4471 or email him at pcannon@norweco.com. We will be exhibiting at the WWETT Show, the Precast Show and the PASEO Show. Please visit us!
Please mention to Paul you save this Announcement on the Keystone Clean Water Team Portal – It appears this is suitable for flows up to 800 gpd or two single family homes or a house with 7 bedrooms (3 bedroom house – 400 gpd; each additional bedroom – 100 gpd).
http://www.carbonwaters.org
http://www.pacleanwater.org
It is important to Know Your H20? and get your well water tested.
More on sewage options in Pennsylvania.
Lead Drinking Water Crisis in Flint Michigan KDF
Lead- Metals- Corrosive Water
Water Quality Association Addresses Drinking Water Crisis in Flint, Michigan
Offers facts and tips about treating for lead contamination
Lisle, Illinois -The Water Quality Association (WQA), an Illinois-based not-for-profit organization, is offering informational resources to help with the drinking water crisis in Flint, Michigan. Flint residents are expected to receive federal aid to help ensure their access to safe drinking water. On January 16, 2016, President Obama signed an Emergency Declaration for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate all disaster- relief efforts. The declaration states that, “This emergency assistance is to provide water, water filters, water filter cartridges, water test kits, and other necessary related items for a period of no more than 90 days.”
Lead (Pb) has been identified as the waterborne contaminant of primary concern for Flint’s residents. To minimize the presence of contaminants such as lead, which may enter the water after it has left a municipal treatment facility, WQA recommends water treatment equipment that has been certified by an ANSI (American National Standards Institute)-accredited certification body. Such accredited entities include WQA’s Gold Seal Product Certification Program, NSF International and Underwriters Laboratory. Flint residents are encouraged to visit Lead in Water to search for the names of products certified by WQA for lead reduction. Click here to download a technical fact sheet about Lead (Pb).
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It is important consumers follow the manufacturer’s instructions for maintenance. WQA also lists of water treatment professionals across the U.S. on its website at Lead in Water.
Additional notes
1. Recommend that we concentrate on the following – get kids and adults blood tested.
2. Get first flush testing completed for lead and alternative water source for drinking.
3. Install point of use treatment in the interim.
4. Develop a plan to remove the lead service lines.
5. Develop a plan to install corrosion control.
6. Lawsuits should wait until the problem is addressed.
More on lead in drinking water- Corrosion
Check out the Keystone Clean Water Team App
Water Treatment Systems – Must Likely need a neutralizing filter and a filter that has KDF 85 or KDF 55 media.
More – 2/4/2016
Water Quality Association Addresses Frequently Asked Questions about Lead in Water
Lisle, Illinois -The Water Quality Association (WQA), an Illinois-based not-for-profit organization, is offering informational resources to help differentiate fact from fiction regarding the drinking water crisis in Flint, Michigan. The Association has compiled answers to several of the most common questions, while addressing some widespread misconceptions Flint residents may have about lead (Pb) in drinking water.
What are potential health effects from lead?
Lead poisoning often displays no outward symptoms; however, irritability, weight loss, vomiting, constipation, and stomach pain are possible signs to look for. Young children and pregnant women are at the greatest risk, even from short-term exposure. Reduced cognitive development and neurobehavioral deficits are associated with blood levels less than 10 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood in children.[1] Therefore, there is no safe level for lead to be present in the blood of children.[2] Individuals will adsorb more lead if they have poor nutrition than those with better diets.
Can a Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) meter be used to detect lead in drinking water?
No. There have been some misconceptions around TDS Meters. These meters cannot measure lead specifically; they detect the conductivity directly related to the concentration of combined total dissolved solids such as minerals, salts and metals. The typical sample of tap water in the U.S. contains approximately 350 parts per million (ppm) of TDS[3], which, as a whole does not on its own indicate a health concern and in many cases is used as a means to enhance taste of water. Lead concentration is found 1000 times lower at the parts per billion (ppb) level, and is too small to be detected without sophisticated instrumentation. Moreover, because TDS meters don’t measure individual ions, lead cannot be detected on its own.
Where can I go to get my water tested?
Water testing should be done be a certified testing laboratory.[4] WQA strongly recommends water testing be conducted at each point of use in accordance with appropriate sampling procedures. The water should be checked after a period of disuse before a specific water treatment product is selected. Water conditions can change, so the water should be tested both before a treatment product has been installed and at regular intervals following installation. Studies have shown the reported levels of lead found in some Flint, MI water results are higher than conditions under which the manufacturer set the replacement recommendations for filters in published manuals.
How do I maintain a filter once it is installed?
Always follow the manufacturer’s installation instructions and contact the manufacturer to confirm usage and capacity. To ensure the manufacturer can provide the most accurate recommendations, have test results for lead and iron on hand for review.
Where do I find a product certified for lead reduction?
American National Standards Institute (ANSI)-accredited entities offering product certification include: WQA’s Product Certification Program, NSF International, International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials, and Underwriters Laboratory. To find products certified by WQA for lead reduction. Contact information for local professionals and manufacturers of certified products can also be found wqa.org.
AAPG American Association of Petroleum Geologists Training Courses
Training Courses Offered by the AAPG – AAPG Education Program
The American Association of Petroleum Geologists is an international organization with over 38,000 members in 100-plus countries
Fluvial Sedimentology and Geomorphology
John Holbrook, Ph.D. | 14 January 2016 | 2 p.m. CST
This short webinar will focus mainly on “source-to-sink,” and will detail methods used to quantify and qualify the sediment mass transported from the hinterland to the depocenter and the storage sites in route. This segment will train in the “fulcrum” approach for quantitatively approximating the sediment budget for ancient source-to-sink systems.
Ambient Seismic Imaging Throughout the Life Cycles of Unconventional Fields
Alfred Lacazette | 21 January | 2 p.m. CDT
This e-symposium provides an overview of a new ambient seismic imaging method and applications of the method throughout the lifecycles (exploration through refracing) of unconventional oil and/or gas fields. These applications include: direct imaging of hydraulic fractures, hydraulically stimulated natural fractures, stimulated reservoir volumes, and producing volumes; stress mapping in three dimensions before, during and after fracing; and Discrete Fracture Network (DFN) frac and reservoir simulation.
Petroleum Geology Fundamentals
Susan Nash | 1st of Each Month | 2 p.m. CDT
This course provides an overview of petroleum geology, from exploration to development. It provides foundational information required to work in the current industry environment, with content that ranges from a historical overview to methods of exploration, new technologies, subsurface geology, petroleum generation, reservoirs, traps, seals, petroleum systems, unconventional reservoirs, shale plays, geophysics, geochemistry, and more.
Courses are typically excellent – but can exceed most budgets. For other training courses that are for basic continuing education – you may want to visit Training Professionals.
Colorado Snowmastodon Mammoths and Mastodons – Global Warming Glacial Interglacial
“While expanding a reservoir in Snowmass Village, Colorado, workers stumbled upon a big bone. And then another, and another, and another. Realizing they found something special, the workers called in the experts at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science (DMNS), who drove several hours to examine the site. Scientists quickly realized that this was no ordinary boneyard. Work on the reservoir halted, as DMNS scientists called in dozens of volunteers and experts from around the country to help excavate the site before construction continued. In a few weeks of excavating, the scientists and volunteers of the Snowmastodon Project uncovered an entire Pleistocene ecosystem, including fossils of giant ground sloths, long-horned bison, North American camels, mammoths, mastodons, insects and ancient plants.
The dig site was as renowned for its geologically unique setting as the community around it is known for skiing. The setting, an ancient alpine lake on top of a terrestrial high-point, meant that it once attracted animals as a watering hole, but was able to evade the destructive processes associated with glaciations. Learn more about what the site is showing scientists about past glacial and interglacial periods and what the site might suggest for the future, and explore the thousands of bones found at this unique site in the January 2016 EARTH Magazine cover story: http://www.earthmagazine.org/article/snowmastodon-project-mammoths-and-mastodons-lived-high-life-colorado.
Alongside exclusive features like the Snowmastodon Project, EARTH Magazine continues to bring you unique and groundbreaking stories, such as new research that suggests intentionally burned floors in African huts can record Earth’s magnetic field, ongoing research that suggests the Midcontinent Rift may be a hybrid rift-large igneous province, and breaking news indicating that treated water from Southern California is so pure that other, more ominous elements are leaching into it from strata surrounding the aquifer. Don’t miss our feature on the great debate about whether mantle plumes exist. All this and more is available at www.earthmagazine.org.”
Education Corner
More on Climate, Geology, Etc
Earth Dynamics: Geologic Time
Plate Tectonics – We are floating on magma.
Global Warming
Valley View Holds First High School Energy Fair Archbald Pennsylvania
“Northeastern Pennsylvania gas companies went to Valley View High School in Lackawanna County to sponsor an energy fair introducing youth to energy careers.
The growth and dedication that has been displayed between the natural gas industry and educational institutions over the years has been staggering. While much of that relationship has been amongst local area colleges, high schools have been becoming closely involved too, as evidenced by the Energy Education Program offered at Valley View High School in Archbald.”
As this blog has noted before, the Energy Education Program offered by Valley View is the first of its kind in the state, as it brings energy-specific curriculum to the high school level and was developed as a collaboration between industry experts and school officials. The course covers nine different types of energy and regularly features speakers from the various industries.
But on Friday, Dec. 18, Valley View took the next big step in its program and hosted its first Energy Fair, which was planned and organized by the Energy Education Program class.
Read More about the Event and Program
We were planning to go to the event, but the presenter became ill. Prior to the event, we did conduct training and educational course on energy conservation and Geothermal Energy.
Presentation on Sustainability Training (pdf)
Our Presentation on Careers in Energy – The Great Earth Engine (pdf)
More training Opportunities in Energy and the Environment
How you can help the Water Science Basics ! Trying to encourage a positive change in Pennsylvania.