Water Cycle, Wellowner, Groundwater, and Pollution Prevention Workshops Available
The Carbon County Groundwater Guardians is partnering with the Pocono Northeast RC&D Council to make available a number of informational and education workshops in Pennsylvania. The topics that are currently available include:
Groundwater and Surfacewater Interconnection and the Water Cycle
The Care and Mainteance of Your Well
Water Quality and the Need for Water Treatment
Baseline Testing as it Relates to Marcellus Shale, Shale Gas Development, or Development in Your Community
Citizen Science and the Groundwater Surfacewater Database
Taking the First Step and Getting Back to Zero with Stormwater (Rain Barrel Workshop and Water Conservation)
How to Test, Screen, and Track Well Water Quality – Interpreting Water Quality Data.
To request a workshop in your community, please email bfenviro@ptd.net and put CCGG in the subject. Please tell us your location and the type of assistance you need.
New Booklet on Drinking Water Quality in PA – sales of booklets support groundwater education in Pennsylvania.
PADEP Proposes Antidegradation Standard for On-lot Septic Systems
PADEP Proposes antidegradation for On-lot septic systems -Sewage Facilities Planning Module Review for Onlot Sewage Systems Proposed in High Quality and Exceptional Value Watersheds – Proposed Policy – 385-2208-XXX.
POLICY: The Department will assure that cost-effective and reasonable best management practices (BMPs) for nonpoint source control are achieved to maintain and protect water quality when reviewing sewage facilities planning modules for proposed individual or community onlot sewage systems in high quality and exceptional value watersheds.
PURPOSE: The purpose of this guidance is to describe BMPs for individual and community onlot sewage systems that can achieve nonpoint source control in High Quality and Exceptional Value waters, and to provide a process to select appropriate BMPs to achieve such control.
Problem
1. Implementation – Policy says it applies to only new systems or permits, this will therefore include all existing lots not developed. The policy also suggests it should be used for all repairs.
2. Cost to Implement- Could add up to cost of installing and maintaining septic systems in PA.
3. PADEP says the problem is because of nitrate. The only problem is that nitrates are not a problem in PA and the nitrate loading from septic systems to the stream may be only 4%. The major sources fossil fuels, atmospheric deposition, agricultural runoff, urban runoff, and wastewater treatment plants.
Encouraging Others to learn More – My personal blog on the subject.
To review the proposed policy
PA DEP Presentation on the Policy
Rachel Carson State Office Building
400 Market Street
Harrisburg, PA 17105-8774
tstarosta@pa.gov
The Baseline Water Testing Process It is NOT Just About Getting a Sample
The Baseline Water Testing Process It is NOT Just About Getting a Sample
By Brian Oram, Professional Geologist
Carbon County Groundwater Guardians
Published in March ONG Marketplace
We have had the opportunity to witness a wide range of practices that have been called baseline testing. We have seen a team of 4 professionals working for the EPA in Dimock, Pennsylvania, take 4 to 5 hours to collect one water sample and we’ve seen a single sampler with virtually no training take 15 minutes to purge and sample a private well with no field measurements or even gloves. The potentially negative impacts of this wide variation in sampling techniques and experience is compounded by the lack of field documentation and a quest for that “single” list of parameters. This approach will make for great future lawsuits and media stories, but does little to generate the reliable data required by professionals, scientists, regulatory agencies, and the public.
The key elements to effective baseline testing should include:
a. A selection of parameters and indicators that meets the regional environmental conditions and addresses the historic and proposed activities and practices in the region and not just a simple list provided or recommended by a regulatory agency;
b. chain-of-custody practices with internal and external quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA) that start and end with the certified laboratory working with a trained third-party professional;
c. field documentation, including notes, field measurements, and photos, that includes a summary of the existing condition of the private water distribution system;
d. field sampling done by third-party samplers that are either licensed professionals or specifically trained in the standard operating procedures of the certified testing laboratory, plus these individuals must have a working understanding of common water treatment systems; and
e. prior to releasing the data, the certified laboratory must validate and review the data, plus work with the third-party professional to confirm or check the reliability and validity of the results.
As part of our outreach efforts, we have been able to review baseline testing conducted by multiple entities. Here is just one example for your consideration.
The sample was collected by a non-professional, third party sampler, tested by a certified testing laboratory, and then given by a natural gas company to a private well owner. The sample was collected only a few weeks before drilling started. The well owner was given a report with the raw data, spike and recovery analysis, surrogate testing results, field data sheet, and a full listing of the methods and the laboratory certifications. When the homeowner, a royalty owner, asked if there was any problems, we provided them a list.
1. The field conductivity was reported at 250 uS/cm, but the certified laboratory data had reported a total dissolved solids of 1500 mg/L;
2. The cation and anion mass balance was out of balance by over 25 %;
3. Total metal values less than dissolved metal values; and
4. The well had arsenic at over 10 times the primary drinking water standard, but this was never flagged as a problem for the private well owner.
This data is not scientifically valid and does not make sense. It may be certified, but it is wrong and there is no time to collect another pre-drill sample.
As professionals, we have the obligation to attempt to get it right and to properly inform citizens when a problem is identified. It is critical that we implement a process to screen the water quality data before it is distributed to the community. To build trust, the data must be provided to the private well owner in a format they can understand.
Baseline testing can be a valuable tool for the environmental professional, gas drilling industry, and community. With proper planning, baseline testing can used to determine where additional documentation or monitoring is needed and to determine the location of systems or wells vulnerable to influence.
In our opinion, baseline testing is not just part of an environmental audit, but in many ways, it is an opportunity for the company and consultant to build trust in the community. At the same time, the company is attempting to mitigate risk by documenting pre-existing conditions, the data collected during this baseline assessment should be used to make critical decisions related to the use of best management practices and build trust in the community through education and outreach.
Baseline testing is a community issue. We ALL live downstream and we need to solve problems as a community. This is a great opportunity to make a positive difference in your host community. Options for informational well water testing.
Support Groundwater Education in Pennsylvania and Consider Scheduling an Education Workshop for Your Community – just email bfenviro@ptd.net
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.
Webinar to examine stray shale-gas migration into groundwater
Sampling stray gas that is bubbling up through surface water.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Investigations into natural gas from shale development migrating into groundwater will be the focus of a free, Web-based seminar offered by Penn State Extension.
To be presented at 1 p.m. on March 21, “A Geochemical Context for Stray Gas Investigations in the Northern Appalachian Basin,” is part of a monthly series of one-hour webinars.
According to presenter Fred Baldassare, senior geoscientist with ECHELON Applied Geoscience Consulting, as shale gas exploration and development has increased over the past five years, stray gas migration in groundwater has become a hot topic. He will discuss the various sources of methane and the need to review each case individually to determine its origin.
“The occurrence of methane in aquifer systems represents a natural condition in many areas of the Appalachian Basin,” he said. “The origin can be the result of microbial and thermogenic processes that convert organic matter in the aquifer strata to methane, and to lower concentrations of ethane and heavier hydrocarbons in some areas of the basin.
“Or it can result from the progressive migration of hydrocarbon gas over geologic time from the source and/or reservoir to the aquifer.”
But in some instances, Baldassare pointed out, the stray gas that occurs in the aquifer and manifests in private water supplies can be the result of gas-well drilling.
“That happens where pressure combines with ineffective casing cement bonds to create pathways,” he said. “Alleged incidents of stray gas migration must be investigated at the site-specific level and must include isotope geochemistry to determine gas origin and diagnostic evidence to determine a mechanism of migration.”
Presented by Penn State Extension’s Marcellus Education Team, the monthly natural-gas webinars usually are offered from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursdays. Upcoming webinars will cover the following topics:
–April 24: Utica Reservoirs — Mike Arthur, Penn State professor of geosciences and co-director of the Penn State Marcellus Center for Outreach and Research.
–May 16: Shale Energy Development’s Effect on the Posting, Bonding and Maintenance of Roads in Rural Pennsylvania — Mark Gaines, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Bureau of Maintenance, Operations and Roadway Management, and Tim Ziegler, Penn State Larson Transportation Institute, Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies.
–June 20: Royalty Calculations for Natural Gas from Shale — Jim Ladlee, associate director, Penn State Marcellus Center for Outreach and Research.
Previous webinars, publications and information also are available on the Penn State Extension natural-gas website (http://extension.psu.edu/naturalgas), covering a variety of topics, such as Act 13; seismic testing; air pollution from gas development; water use and quality; zoning; gas-leasing considerations for landowners; gas pipelines and right-of-way issues; legal issues surrounding gas development; and the impact of Marcellus gas development on forestland.
Registration for this webinar is not necessary, and all are welcome to participate by logging in to https://meeting.psu.edu/pscems . For more information, contact Carol Loveland at 570-320-4429 or by email at cal24@psu.edu .
< http://news.psu.edu/story/267750/2013/03/08/webinar-examine-stray-shale-gas-migration-groundwater >
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. Well water testing and educational program.
The Potential for Waterborne Spread of MRSA
One Bad Bug
By Kelly A. Reynolds, MSPH, PhD , Associate Professor at the University of Arizona College of Public Health
The emergence and increased prevalence of the ‘superbug’ bacterium known as MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), has raised questions as to the routes of transmission related to disease. Reports of MRSA infections in the general population and evidence of the bacteria surviving in wastewater, tap water and drinking water biofilms creates alarm in the public and warrants a discussion of whether or not MRSA infections occur from tapwater exposures.
Read more (pdf)
Be Groundwater Aware
Groundwater Awareness Week March 10-16, 2013
Some 44 percent of the U.S. population depends on groundwater, the water that fills cracks and other openings in beds of rock and sand, for its drinking water supply — be it from either a public source or private well. In rural areas, the number is about 96 percent. That fact alone justifies the need for National Groundwater Awareness Week, to be observed March 10-16, 2013. But groundwater is important to us in many other ways, as well.
Read more (pdf)
Groundwater Awareness Week March 10-16, 2013
Hospitals to study drilling and health
Geisinger is part of first large-scale study of Marcellus Shale’s medical impact.DANVILLE – Geisinger Health System will team with two other regional health systems to study the health impacts of Marcellus Shale gas drilling in what’s said to be the first large-scale, “scientifically rigorous assessment” of the health effects of natural-gas production.
Geisinger announced Monday it received a $1 million grant from the Degenstein Foundation to help underwrite data-gathering and develop studies of the data.
Geisinger will partner with Guthrie Health of Sayre, a health-care system serving northern Pennsylvania and southern New York, and Susquehanna Health of Williamsport, for the study.
“The Degenstein Foundation’s support of this research project comes at a critical time for the residents of Pennsylvania who live in the Marcellus Shale region,” said Dr. Glenn D. Steele Jr., M.D., Ph.D., president and chief executive officer at Geisinger Health System.
“The establishment of reliable and valid data regarding the potential health impacts of Marcellus Shale gas drilling is essential for informed policy decisions.”
Surveillance network
The study will include the development of a health surveillance network to assess patient-level data secured via electronic health record and make data available for research purposes.
Geisinger said some of the health effects that will be investigated first may include asthma, cardiovascular disease and cancer.
Preliminary results of data analysis may be released within the next year, while other aspects of the research will unfold over five, 10 or 15 years.
Michael Apfelbaum, co-trustee of the Degenstein Foundation, said, “Geisinger’s research into the health impacts of natural-gas drilling fits perfectly with our mission, and we are proud to support this important initiative.”
In August 2012, Geisinger announced plans to use its extensive electronic health records, along with the electronic health records of Guthrie Health and Susquehanna Health, to investigate the possible health effects of Marcellus Shale gas drilling.
The study will look at detailed health histories of hundreds of thousands of patients who live near the Marcellus Shale, a rock formation in which energy companies already have drilled about 5,000 natural-gas wells.
“We anticipate additional institutional partners,” said Dr. Joseph Scopelliti, president and CEO of Guthrie.
“Our aim is to create a cross-disciplinary and sharable repository of data on environmental exposures, health outcomes and community impacts. The analysis of this data will further allow for the development of appropriate interventions.”
Jeffrey Apfelbaum, co-trustee of the Degenstein Foundation, said the landscape of the region is in a state of immense change.
“This project will make a difference in our region as we seek to better understand the shifts occurring around us,” he said.
The majority of the funding will be used to underwrite growth of the necessary data-gathering infrastructure and to help develop strategic studies of the data gathered.
Degenstein Foundation
The Degenstein Foundation was created by Charles B. Degenstein to improve the quality of life and to provide financial support to organizations with clear statements of purpose, well-defined programs and competent leadership.
Special consideration is given to unique, innovative and creative projects that benefit children, promote education, improve health care, encourage business, culture, conservation of natural resources and protection of the environment.
www.timesleader.com/stories/Hospitals-to-study-drilling-and-health,265425?category_id=487&town_id=1&sub_type=stories
Bill O’Boyle – boboyle@timesleader.com – 570-829-7218
Key to cleaner environment may be right beneath our feet
Lin and his crew working in Penn State’s Living Filter, surveying the subsurface using an electromagnetic induction device.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — While many people recognize that clean water and air are signs of a healthy ecosystem, most do not realize that a critical part of the environment is right beneath their feet, according to a Penn State hydrologist.
The ground plays an important role in maintaining a clean environment by serving as a natural water filtration and purification system, said Henry Lin, professor of hydropedology and soil hydrology. Understanding the components that make up this integral part of the ecosystem can lead to better groundwater management and smarter environmental policy.
“We look at nature and we see all the beauty and all the prosperity around us,” said Lin, “But most people don’t know or tend to forget that the key to sustainability is right underground.”
Lin, who reports on his research today (Feb. 17) at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Boston, said that the earth’s outer layer — from the top vegetation canopy to the strata of soils and layers of underground material — helps soak up and purify water by extracting excess nutrients, heavy metals and other impurities. The ground can also act as a storage container for freshwater.
About 60 percent of the world’s annual precipitation ends up in this zone, Lin said.
“In fact, there is more water under the ground than there is in the so-called ‘blue waters,’ such as lakes and rivers,” said Lin.
Besides using freshwater for drinking, people use large amounts of water to irrigate agricultural fields and as part of industrial operations. The researcher said that just as a global green revolution raised awareness about food security, a “blue revolution” may lead to efforts to water security with clean, safe water supply around the globe.
“Without water there is no life,” Lin said. “Without groundwater, there is no clean water.”
Lin said that the system is currently under threat from poor land management practices that fail to consider how ground water is affected by land uses, such as new building projects, underground storage and agricultural operations. Planners should consider, for example, how the ground and plants in an area can affect water run-off. In some cases, not taking the ground and underground features of an area into consideration can lead to flooding, or to the addition of impurities into drinking water supplies.
Besides reaching out to managers and planners, Lin said that the general public also must become more aware of groundwater management issues.
“In a lot of cases, for the general public and even people from government agencies and funding agencies, it’s out of sight, out of mind,” Lin said. “But, beneath the surface lies the foundation of our sustainability.”
Registration open for May 8 Pa. Groundwater Symposium
‘Emerging Issues in a Changing Landscape’ is the theme of the event.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — In observance of National Drinking Water Week, Penn State Extension and the state Department of Environmental Protection are collaborating with numerous other sponsors to offer the 2013 Pennsylvania Groundwater Symposium.
Scheduled for May 8 at Penn State’s University Park campus, registration for the event now is open at this website and is limited to the first 150 registrants.
“Emerging Issues in a Changing Landscape” is the theme of the symposium, which will provide a forum for researchers, students, professionals and educators working in the groundwater field to exchange information and promote protection of groundwater resources throughout the state.
“Millions of Pennsylvanians rely on groundwater for their drinking water,” said symposium coordinator Bryan Swistock, extension water resources specialist. “National Drinking Water Week provides the perfect opportunity for us to convene a symposium of groundwater experts who can share information to better understand and protect this vital natural resource.”
Morning and afternoon keynote speakers will address important water issues in Pennsylvania, including emerging contaminants and the potential impacts of natural-gas development.
The symposium also will feature several concurrent sessions with presentations on groundwater budgets and yields, tools for describing groundwater during natural-gas exploration, and broader studies characterizing groundwater and water wells.
A lengthy afternoon break and poster session will allow attendees to network while viewing numerous poster presentations. Abstracts for additional poster presentations will be accepted through April 3 on the registration website.
A nominal registration fee of $30 for the symposium is made possible by funding support from Penn State Extension and its Master Well Owner Network, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the Mid-Atlantic Water Program, the Pennsylvania Ground Water Association and the Penn State Water Resources Research Center.
Additional partnering agencies include the U.S. Geological Survey and the Susquehanna River Basin Commission.
For more information, contact Swistock at 814-863-0194 or by email at brs@psu.edu.
news.psu.edu/story/142152/2013/02/07/registration-open-may-8-pa-groundwater-symposium
Land-use webinar offered by Penn State Extension on Feb. 20
news.psu.edu/story/264504/2013/02/18/land-use-webinar-offered-penn-state-extension-feb-20
UNIVERSITY PARK — A Web-based seminar focusing on limitations in municipal land-use authority will be offered by Penn State Extension at noon and 7 p.m. Feb. 20.
“How Pre-emption of Zoning and Other Local Controls Impacts Planning” will provide participants with an appreciation of how state laws can impact local land use.
In the one-hour session, attorney Charles Courtney, of McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC, will explain why planners, elected officials and other interested parties should understand how certain statutes can limit municipal land-use authority.
“Although municipalities have broad land-use authority under the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code, various commonwealth statutes limit that authority in specific areas — for example the Oil and Gas Act and the Nutrient Management Act,” he said.
“Under many of these statutes, the municipality is forbidden to impose any requirement that is inconsistent with the state statute. This pre-emption can be expressly written in the statute, or it can be implied.”
Understanding the limitations in local land-use authority will help municipal officials to be better planners, Courtney noted. The webinar, which will be moderated by Neal Fogle, Penn State Extension educator based in Northumberland County, will provide that insight.
The Feb. 20 presentation is part of Extension’s Land Use Decision-Making Monthly Webinar Series, which provides information about current planning issues, land use planning tools and techniques, local regulation and community engagement. The sessions are designed to help planners, elected officials and citizens better engage in land use decision-making processes.
Upcoming webinars will cover the following topics:
–March 20: “Renewable Energy Implementation and Land Use Regulations — Is There Conflict?”
–April 17: “Developing More Effective Citizen Engagement: A How-To Guide for Community Leaders”
–May 15: “Low Impact Development and Smart Growth: How Are They Best Integrated and Utilized in Our Communities?”
A webinar held Jan. 16, “Planning in Pennsylvania: Land Use, Communities and Beyond,” was recorded and is available to registered participants for viewing.
Registration cost for the entire webinar series is $25, and registrants can watch as few or as many webinars as they like. For more information, contact Jeff Himes, extension educator based in Tioga County, at 570-724-9120 or jhimes@psu.edu, or visit http://agsci.psu.edu/land-use-webinar.
Contacts:
Chuck Gill
cdg5@psu.edu
Work Phone:
814-863-2713