UDRBC Seminar Next Week; Water Quality and Legislative Update
Next Thursday, May 2, the Upper Delaware River Basin Citizens or UDRBC will be holding a seminar in Lookout, Pennsylvania to talk landowner rights and more.
Be there! The UDRBC, lead by Ned Lang and a large group of Upper Delaware River citizens will be conducting an in-depth discussion of natural gas exploration and development. The Upper Delaware River Basin Citizens (‘UDRBC’) has announced the topic of its Spring Seminar scheduled for Thursday, May2, 2019 at the Lookout Fire Hall, 2625 Hancock Highway, Equinunk, Pennsylvania.
The seminar will be held from 9:00 AM to 2:30 PM, with lunch provided and will feature numerous speakers. Registration is online at https://udrbc.com under “EVENTS” and space is limited.
UDRBC Seminar Speakers- May 2, 2019
Major speakers will include:
BRIAN ORAM: Brian is a Professional Geologist and Soil Scientist for B.F Environmental Consultants. He is also a Private Well Owner Educator at PACleanwater and Managing the Keystone Clean Water Team. Water quality education is both and expertise with this entertaining expert. He knows Northeastern Pennsylvania water and geology like no one else.Brian’s specialties include well migration issues, natural gas, hydrogeology, carbon sequestering, brine water treatment and water reuse. He will address the relationship between natural gas development and water quality.
During this presentation, we will discuss water quality, groundwater, environmental issues with natural gas development, and activities that landowners/royalty owners can do to protect themselves, their community, and the environment. We will announce the free phone App that is available from the Keystone Clean Water Team on Baseline Water Testing and encourage citizens to participate in a citizen based groundwater assessment using their baseline data. (Slide Presentation – pdf version baselinetestingwaynecounty2019slide )
NOTE: Please consider supporting the Keystone Clean Water Team (501C3) in PA – some of our PSAs.
PAT HENDERSON: Pat has over 20 years experience in legislative and executive branches of government, and with leading nationally-recognized energy advocacy trade organizations. Pat is currently employed at the Marcellus Shale Foundation. He is an expert on Marcellus Shale development policy and knows government inside and outside. Pat will address the latest shale gas issues from the perspectives of both industry and policymakers.
JEFF BELARDI: Attorney Jeffrey Belardi practices out of Scranton, PA and has been licensed for 25 years. He attended Widener University and handles cases in Corporate & Incorporation, Criminal Defense, State, Local And Municipal Law, Litigation. Jeff is also one of three attorneys handling the Wayne Land and Mineral Group lawsuit against the DRBC and in defense of landowner rights.
It is important to Learn, Diagnose, and Test. Public outreach is part of the Mission of the Keystone Clean Water Team. To learn more about this Organization and support their efforts, please go to http://www.pacleanwater.org
Other Items:
- Training Programs:
Modern Shale Gas Development
Mud Logging Sensors
Shale Gas and the Global Market
Introduction to Groundwater Contamination
Groundwater Hydrology
Petrochemical Training for Engineers - Learn about the facts and not the fear – Scare Pollution (must read):
- A book on climate and climate change – a must read:
Please Get Your Water Tested – At a minimum, an comprehensive Informational Water Quality Test to at least determine your general well water quality and learn about the hazards in your community. This is not certified baseline testing, but it is a low cost means of evaluating your drinking water source. It is important to KNOW Your H20! Get Your Water Tested and order a Neighboorhood Hazard Reports for your Home.
5th Annual 2016 Shale Gas Innovation Contest Launched Ben Franklin
5th Annual 2016 Shale Gas Innovation Contest Launched by Ben Franklin Shale Gas Innovation and Commercialization Center!
STATE COLLEGE, PA – The Ben Franklin Shale Gas Innovation and Commercialization Center www.sgicc.org is announcing today their 5th Annual Shale Gas Innovation Contest, offering a total of $80,000 in cash prizes for the four best shale energy oriented innovations, new product ideas, or service concepts that are either in the development stage or recently launched. Researchers, entrepreneurs, or small businesses in Pennsylvania or West Virginia focused on developing a new product or service for the shale energy space can apply. A simple online application can be found at http://www.sgicc.org/2016-shale-gas-innovation-contest.html.
The SGICC also wants to recognize the generous support of the Benedum Foundation that once again extends the contest to include West Virginia, as well as Pennsylvania.
In addition to the cash prizes, successful applicants will gain exposure to investors, potential partners, and industry sponsors. Additionally at this year’s Finals Event, already scheduled to take place on May 18th, 2016 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Southpointe, PA, there will be a poster session included to highlight some of the most promising technologies under development at regional universities and research centers.
This 5th Annual Shale Gas Innovation Contest’s GOLD Sponsor is the Ben Franklin Technology Partners (http://www.benfranklin.org). Industry sponsors include: AquaTech (www.aquatech.com), Chevron Technology Ventures (http://www.chevron.com/ctv/ctvi/), EQT Corporation (https://www.eqt.com/ ), First National Bank (www.fnb-online.com ), GE Oil & Gas (http://www.ge-energy.com), Inflection Energy (http://www.inflectionenergy.com/), LPR Energy (http://www.lprenergy.com/), LPR Land Services (http://www.lprls.com/), the Marcellus Shale Coalition (http://marcelluscoalition.org), PPG Industries (http://corporate.ppg.com/), Praxair (www.praxair.com), Steptoe & Johnson PLLC (http://www.steptoe-johnson.com/ ), and Williams (www.williamsinthenortheast.com). Non-Profit sponsors include: Carnegie Mellon University Scott Institute for Energy Innovation (http://www.cmu.edu/energy/), and Penn State University’s Institute for Natural Gas Research (http://www.ems.psu.edu/INGaR).
Bill Hall, Director of the SGICC commented, “The challenging pricing environment that the industry is facing, coupled with the ever increasing emphasis on environmental compliance, and gaining the social license to operate across the Marcellus and Utica Shale Region continues to make new innovations all the more important. The rapid pace of innovation adoption across the shale energy plays in this region has been amazing! Through the contest SGICC shines a light on the best new innovations being developed in our region.”
Entering the competition is easy, requiring the completion of the online application. Any idea or already commercialized product or service related to the shale energy space is eligible. Examples include well pad EH&S products or services, novel materials or chemicals to enhance performance, or for instance prevent corrosion or improve product yield, remote site monitoring technologies, natural gas or NGL conversion technologies, and water management or remediation technologies.
Finalists will be chosen by a panel of industry experts. To download an application, visit www.sgicc.org and click on the 2016 Shale Gas Innovation Contest tab. Deadline to enter is 11:59PM on February 1st, 2016.
For details regarding eligibility or other questions, contact Bill Hall at either 814-933-8203 or billhall@psu.edu.
New Tools and Courses
Know Your H20 Phone App and Database Search
Citizen Scientists – The Online Water Quality Index Calculator is Available.
Training Courses on Natural Gas Development and Environmental Concerns
Stream Restoration, Wetlands, Energy, and Water Resources Management
Actions:
- If you have any testing done as part of this action, please consider releasing this data to the Citizen Groundwater and Surface Water Database. Fill out the attached form and mail the data to the following address:
Mr. Brian Oram, PG
Keystone Clean Water Team
15 Hillcrest Drive
Dallas, PA 18612
Please note- if you have baseline testing done already you may have some information on the level of surfactants in the water if you had a MBAS test done. - Informational Screening Testing – Get your water screened for water contamination including isopropanol – Informational Screening Water Kit (Not Certified) Covers about 200 parameters, plus a review of any predrilling data – Only $ 275.00. Email
- Drinking Water Guide for Pennsylvania.
PADEP pipeline task force gives 184 recommendations
Note Our Work – Email blast from PIOGA
A state task force on natural gas pipelines is making 184 recommendations touching on everything from location of pipelines to emergency response plans, all designed to promote “responsible” pipeline development in Pennsylvania. The 335-page document, crafted by the state Department of Environmental Protection’s Pipeline Infrastructure Task Force, has been posted online for public review.
“It is important to remember that the report is not meant to be the final word,” said DEP Secretary John Quigley, who chaired the task force. “When we present our report to the governor in February 2016, I anticipate that the next step will be to determine the feasibility and implementation strategies for each recommendation.”
The 48-member task force was created in May by Governor Tom Wolf to develop policies, guidelines and tools to assist in pipeline development, operation and maintenance.
Recommendations in the draft were assembled by delegates from sectors affected by pipeline development, Quigley noted, including agriculture, communities, environmentalists, cultural resource advocates, industry officials, government agencies and emergency responders.
That lengthy list of recommendations starts with “educate landowners on pipeline development issues.” Other recommendations:
- Implement full-time environmental inspections during pipeline construction.
- Monitor water quality during construction.
- Establish planning coordination between county agencies and pipeline developers.
- Require pipeline abandonment plans.
- Standardize emergency response plans and provide 911 addresses for pipeline-related facilities.
- Do not locate pipelines parallel to waterways within their 100-year floodways.
- Conduct early outreach with affected communities.
- Minimize impact on local roads.
- Create various statewide bodies and processes, including an all-region DEP pipeline review committee, a statewide pipeline information center for the public, and a DEP design manual for pipeline construction.
A 30-day public comment period on the draft report will run through December 14. [Read more]
Please note – there is no assumed responsibility associated with Pipeline Construction for Private Well Impacts – therefore it is important to document baseline conditions for your existing water sources and water wells. Primary items of concern are aesthetic water quality issues, future methane and other gas releases, spills, local disturbances, discolored water, and related contaminants. The Know Your H20? App for Baseline Testing in PA should help.
New Tools and Courses
Know Your H20 Phone App and Database Search
Citizen Scientists – The Online Water Quality Index Calculator is Available.
Training Courses on Natural Gas Development and Environmental Concerns
Stream Restoration, Wetlands, and Water Resources Management
Actions:
- If you have any testing done as part of this action, please consider releasing this data to the Citizen Groundwater and Surface Water Database. Fill out the attached form and mail the data to the following address:
Mr. Brian Oram, PG
Keystone Clean Water Team
15 Hillcrest Drive
Dallas, PA 18612
Please note- if you have baseline testing done already you may have some information on the level of surfactants in the water if you had a MBAS test done. - Informational Screening Testing – Get your water screened for water contamination including isopropanol – Informational Screening Water Kit (Not Certified) Covers about 200 parameters, plus a review of any predrilling data – Only $ 275.00. Email
- Drinking Water Guide for Pennsylvania.
Ben Franklin’s SGICC Releases Updated Study Summarizing Shale Gas Wastewater Treatment and Disposal
Ben Franklin’s SGICC Releases Updated Study Summarizing Shale Gas Wastewater Treatment and Disposal in Pennsylvania in 2014
STATE COLLEGE, PA – In 2012 the Ben Franklin Shale Gas Innovation & Commercialization Center (www.sgicc.org) commissioned a study on the status of wastewater being produced in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Now, three years later, SGICC is updating the report, not only because of the slowdown in the drilling process across the Commonwealth, but also due to the rapid change the shale industry has made in management techniques for the wastewater from shale gas and NGL extraction. See the new 2015 report, as well as the 2012 version, on the SGICC web site at http://www.sgicc.org/research–reports.html.
SGICC hired Wunz Associates, LLC to undertake the study as a follow up to their 2012 effort. An exhaustive search of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) wastewater reporting records was undertaken, coupled with discussions with leading companies treating the wastewater for the industry. In addition to posting the Wunz Associate report at the link above, a second report generated by Eureka Resources, LLC regarding their Standing Stone treatment facility operations in Bradford County, PA and published in SPE International in 2015 is also available.
The most significant finding in the 2015 Wunz report is that volumes classified as “produced water” exceeded those classified as “frac fluid” in 2014. Bill Hall, SGICC Director notes, “This has occurred largely due to the slowdown in drilling and fracturing of wells by the industry and could reverse again in the future when natural gas and NGL prices rebound and drilling picks up again. Additionally, the amount of produced water is likely to decline over time since it is generated in proportion to the amount of gas or NGLs a well is producing, and that tends to drop off fairly rapidly after the initial years of production.”
Hall also stressed that the majority of the wastewater generated as both “produced” and “frac fluid” are recycled by the industry. In fact, the PADEP records indicate that over 91% of the water is recycled by being used in a future completions project. Recycling is typically done after the water is partially treated to remove solids and other unneeded constituents.
“There may be a point in the future where total frac flowback fluid and produced water volumes do exceed the total volume of water used to fracture wells in the state. But that point has not been reached yet,” noted Hall. “The industry continues to look for innovations in the area of shale wastewater treatment and disposal to address future challenges.”
Online Training Courses
Hydraulic Fracturing (Fracking) – Environmental Issues
Hydraulic Fracturing – The Process
Industrial Water Treatment and Underground Injection Control
Comprehensive – Petrochemical – Shale Gas Course
Marcellus Shale Appalachian Basin Unique View
Natural gas production from the Marcellus shale formation in the increased to 14.4 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in January 2015, accounting for more than 36% of shale gas production and more than 18% of total dry natural gas production in the United States, according to EIA’s Natural Gas Weekly Update. Recent updates to EIA’s maps and geologic information for the Marcellus shale play help to characterize the formation’s structure, thickness, and extent. EIA uses well data to construct maps showing the formation extent and structure of the productive and prospectively productive regions of the Marcellus. Structure and thickness maps are key elements in resource estimation and in defining the areas where hydrocarbon extraction is economical. Maps showing the top and bottom of the formation as 3-D surfaces can be used for a rough estimation of subsurface volumes, as well as detection of regional structural and tectonic features such as major faults, folds, and thrusts. Post provided for educational purposes.
Depth to the Formation
3D Diagram of the Basin
Thickness of the Marcellus Shale
Sources:
http://www.oilvoice.com/n/Updated-geologic-maps-provide-greater-detail-for-Marcellus-formation/38a70524ca6b.aspx
Principal Contributors: Olga Popova, Evan Frye, Elizabeth Panarelli (Oil Voice) 4/1/15
“The Ben Franklin Shale Gas Innovation and Commercialization Center (www.sgicc.org) is designed to harness innovation and new technologies to maximize the economic return to Pennsylvania’s citizens from the Marcellus and Utica shale formations. The Center’s goal is to increase sustainable employment and wealth creation in Pennsylvania that has the potential to outlast the initial exploration, production and transportation of natural gas from the formations. The Center will also identify, support and commercialize technologies and early-stage businesses that enhance responsible stewardship of the environment while properly utilizing this transformative energy asset.”
Learn More About Natural Gas Development, Fracking, Fracking Terms, and Sustainability
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. KCWT’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 KCWT’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. Our new PSAs.
Help the Organization and Get Your Water Tested or Order the Private Well Owner Guide (proceeds benefit This Organization). Water Science Basics!
Pipeline Panel Discussion Northeastern Pennsylvania
Wilkes University is hosting a panel discussion entitled “Gas Pipelines in Northeastern PA: Challenges and Solutions” on Thursday, 19 March between 7:30 P.M. – 9:30 P.M. The session will be held in Stark Learning Center, Room 101. The event is free.
The purpose of the session will be to offer the public a balanced perspective on natural gas pipeline development. Regulatory, planning, and landowner issues to protect PAs citizens and its environment while allowing for infrastructure development will be explored.
Panelists will include Mike Mara (UGI Energy Services), Dave Horn (LIUNA), Davitt Woodwell (Pennsylvania Environmental Council), Paul Metro (Pennsylvania Utility Commission), Josh Longmore (Luzerne County Conservation District), State Senator John T. Yudichak, Kenneth Klemow (Wilkes University), and Brian Oram (BF Environmental Consultants Inc).
The anticipated format will involve panelists responding to a series of prepared questions, followed up by moderated questions from the audience.
Ken
Directions to Campus
Campus Map (You want Stark Learning Center)
*****
Links
Online Training Courses Related to Natural Gas Development
Sustainability Training
Stream Restoration Courses
Gas pipelines in Northeastern PA: Challenges and Solutions
New PSA – Public Service Announcement Videos Pennsylvania Groundwater
The Keystone Clean Water Team would like to this opportunity to thank our current sponsors and supporters who aided in creating our first set of PSAs. It has been a great year. The first set of public service announcements can be found on the Organizations YouTube Site. The Videos are as follows:
1. Getting Your Water Tested Can Cost as Little As $ 50.00 – Only Costs $ 50.00
2. Hidden Contamination in Your Water – Looks Clear – It is Ok?
3. Got Coliform Bacteria – Do NOT Panic !
4. Water Testing – It is Easy! (Annual Water Quality Testing – Baseline Testing – Natural Gas)
5. We Could Use Some Help – Help Us Help You and Our Community !
Please share on social media, like and share our sites on facebook, and we do Tweet. Get our Educational Booklet.
Featured Product – Well Safe – Something Every Well Owner Should Have on the Shelf !
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Thanks
Sponsors – We can use some help!
Thank You to Our Current Sponsors and Supporters
Carbon County Environmental Education Center
Greg Sorber Well Drilling –204 Niemchik Rd, Hunlock Creek, PA 18621 · (570) 477-5393
RGA Public Relations
White Knight Productions Inc.
B.F. Environmental Consultants
Practical Law and Life
Groundwater Foundation – Groundwater Guardian Program
SAFER PA Releases New Handbook for Private Water Well Owners in Pennsylvania
Upon recognizing that many homeowners in Pennsylvania do not have sufficient information regarding the function and management of their private water supplies, the Shale Alliance for Energy Research – Pennsylvania (SAFER PA) developed the “Pennsylvania Water Well Handbook”. This public service document conveys important information in a straight-forward manner, including an overview of Pennsylvania private water supplies, details on the natural water cycle, how water occurs in aquifers, typical water quality issues, best management practices for water well siting and construction, water quality protection, how to interpret laboratory reports, and improvement of water quality through treatment. The Handbook is expected to have wide distribution, and is available in both hard copy and in electronic form. It is intended to be used as a valuable information piece for well owners, industry and regulators . To obtain an electronic copy of the Handbook and for information concerning how to order hard copies, visit: www.saferpa.org/WaterWellHandbook
The Shale Alliance for Energy Research, Pennsylvania (SAFER PA; Website Link: http://www.saferpa.org/Pages/default.aspx), an independent, not-for-profit organization committed to advancing technology, analysis and education supporting safe and sustainable development of the Commonwealth’s shale resources, has made available the “Pennsylvania Water Well Handbook.”
Als0 – Do not forget to check out the Private Well Owner Guide to Pennsylvania, published in 2012. Over 53 pages of helpful information on drinking water quality, baseline testing, shock well disinfection, and assistance with the Citizens Groundwater Database.
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 or Order the Private Well Owner Guide (proceeds benefit This Organization). Water Science Basics!
Pike County Conservation District looking for Volunteers to allow FREE WELL WATER TESTING
Conservation District looking for Volunteers to allow FREE WELL WATER TESTING
Pike County Conservation District along with the US Geological Survey (USGS) will be completing a study of drinking water wells from around the county during the summer of 2015. The wells included in the study will be selected from a list of private residential or business wells owned by individuals who agree to volunteer access to their well for the study. From this list of volunteers, wells will be selected based on several criteria such as geology, accessibility and construction information. In order to place your well on the list, just call or email the Pike County Conservation District at 570-226-8220 or PikeCD@pikepa.org and give some basic contact info and well location.
Help Pike County develop a baseline for drinking water quality! This is a great opportunity to have an excellent comprehensive sampling of your well water. The cost of this sampling would be several hundred dollars but well water tests completed as part of this study will all be done at no cost to the well owner because this study is funded by the Commonwealth Finance Authority through a Marcellus Legacy Fund Grant awarded to the Pike County Conservation District. Well water samples will be compared to EPA health standards along with many secondary standards for safe drinking water. Also included in the testing will be several chemicals associated with Unconventional Gas Well Drilling (fracking). Well owners will be provided with the results. There are only 60 openings for wells throughout Pike County available for the study. Well locations and names will be kept confidential; only the data from the water tests will be used in the study.
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 or Order the Private Well Owner Guide (proceeds benefit This Organization). Water Science Basics!
DEP Releases File – 243 Cases Where Natural Gas Development Impact Private Wells Pennsylvania
This story was released on August 28, 2014 by the Associated Press. The link to the story is “Online list IDs water wells harmed by drilling” (Looks like article was removed- 9/28/2014). First- I am not a fan of the title, but the list does provide insights into the number of private wells that the PADEP has concluded were directly influenced by oil and gas development in Pennsylvania during the period from 2008 to 2014- Regional_Determination_Letters . Also, this story was pre-dated by a very good story in the Sunday Times in May 19, 2013.
May 2013 Story
As of May 2013, the PADEP had determined that 161 private wells had been adversely impacted by oil and natural gas development in PA over the period from 2008 to 2o12. But during this period, over 1000 cases or problems with private wells were evaluated. A quote from the article
“Inspectors declared the vast majority of complaints – 77 percent of 969 records – unfounded, lacking enough evidence to tie them definitively to drilling or caused by a different source than oil and gas exploration, like legacy pollution, natural conditions or mining. One in six investigations across the roughly five-year period – 17 percent of the records – found that oil and gas activity disrupted water supplies either temporarily or seriously enough to require companies to replace the spoiled source.”
Question Number 1 – what caused or is causing 77% of the problem? – Is this NOT important? Answer – NO one seems to be asking.
Question Number 2 – How many were temporary?
Statement 1: The 2013 and 2014 article proves what we have been saying since 2009. Oil and gas development has the potential to adversely impact private wells. The cause is most likely related or associated with drilling, methane migration associated with cementing / casing issues, spills, pipeline construction (shallow excavation) and the use of impoundments to store waste. We have been saying this since 2009 and so has the PADEP. Also, we recommended baseline testing parameters based on the pathways that were cited and suspected.
Statement 2: The common problems appear to be methane, Lower Explosion Limit, iron, manganese, aluminum, arsenic, and turbidity. We included these parameters in our baseline testing list, plus saline water indicates such as bromide and lithium well before PADEP, PSU, and others.
Statement 3: No credible source has ever said Oil and Gas Development could not adversely impact a private well. What has been said – there is not evidence that that hydraulic fracturing portion of the development has caused a problem. There has been many historic cases related to loss of circulation during drilling, mud migration, spills, surface disturbance, methane gas migration because of cement issues, spills, and releases from impoundments.
August 2014 Story
Statement 1: After looking at the 2014 article and the individual determination letters from PADEP for the Eastern Portion of Pennsylvania (excluding the first 19 because this is the Dimock Data- We Did a Well by Well Evaluation of the Dimock)- we found the following:
Eastern Data Set –
Stated Cause
Drilling – 84
Impoundment Leak – 1
Spill/ Surface Containment Issue – 1
LEL – > 10% LEL in wellhead – 4
Presumption – The Operator was presumed to be at fault – 20 %
Temporary Problem that resolved – 26 % (but still a problem for a period of up to a year)
Methane at any level – 78 cases
Methane > 28 mg/L – 24 cases
Methane > 10 mg/L – 68 cases
Methane < 10 mg/L – 6 cases
Methane < 5 mg/L – 2 cases
Iron – 30 cases – 28 %
Manganese – 41 cases – 38 %
Aluminum – 15 cases – 14%
Barium – 3 cases – 2.8 %
Total Dissolved Solids -TDS – 4 cases – 3.7 %
Chloride – 2 cases – < 2 %
Zinc – 1 case – < 1 %
From a review of the letters of determination, it appears that the PADEP made the determination in less than 2 months. I believe there is a regulatory requirement to make a determination in 45 days or less.
Other Interesting Notes
1. In one well the methane ranged from 0.29 to 148 mg/L
2. Two cases wellhead LEL was the determining factor and in one case the methane level in water was less than 2 mg/L – probably a venting issue.
3. Two springs were impacted.
4. Barium – two cases had pre-drill problems.
5. Only 1 case where organics were the issue – associated with a fire suppression activity because of loss of control at the wellhead. Suppressant was used at the surface.
What this tells us:
1. Most of the problems appear to be related to iron and manganese – these makes it difficult because it is a common and intermittent water quality problem in the region.
2. Methane is another factor – but it is critical to document both methane and all other gas issues and LEL levels.
3. Other parameters of importance include aluminum (we recommend in 2009) and barium, chloride, total dissolved solids, and zinc.
4. The process seems to work, but it would be great to have access to the raw data.
Again – trying to provide a fact based review of the information and use wisely. The main questions:
1. How many other wells reported a problem?
2. How many of these wells had a problem unrelated to oil and gas development? What was the cause?
3. How many private wells were impacted by other permitted activities or road salting efforts over the period from 2008 to 2014?
Final Question – If we do not create private well construction standards and fix the poorly constructed private wells – Will we really Ever Control this Potential Pathway for Groundwater Contamination.
Action You can Take!
1. Get your Well Water Baseline Testing Completed.
2. Have the data reviewed.
3. Release the Data -Data Only to the Citizens Database
4. Learn the Facts and Monitor Your Well Water Quality – Work as a Community!
5. Support the Keystone Clean Water Team – Facebook, Twitter, and maybe a Donation?
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 KCWT/CCGG, enabling us to better understand and address the concerns of well owners. We need individuals to provide copies of our brochure and information at local events, consider hosting a presentation, and sharing our facebook and twitter posts.
Everything we do began with an idea.
We realize your time is precious and the world is hectic. KCWT/ CCGG’s volunteers do only what they’re comfortable with. It can be a little or a lot.
For more information, please go to KCWT/CCGG’s About Page or contact us.