Pennsylvania Well Owners Residents Submit Data to the Citizens Database

Posted by on February 23, 2014 · Leave a Comment 

For 2014 – ROA Number – 2  – Citizens Database

For the past 20+ years, Mr. Brian Oram has been conducting water quality analysis, baseline testing, and conducting education programs for the citizens of Pennsylvania.  Even though our groundwater resources are one of our most important assets, there is limited data on the quality and quantity of regional groundwater. While working at Wilkes University, he helped establish the formation of a “Citizen” Groundwater and Surfacewater Database.  Even though he no longer work full-time at Wilkes University, he is working with the Keystone Clean Water Team,   Dr. Brian Redmond,  and Dr. Sid Halsor on the development, formation, and creation of this community tool.  This regional  water quality database is an unbiased warehouse of water quality data that is supported by fellow “Citizens” of this Commonwealth.   After reviewing this information, we would hope you will take action and support the PA Citizens Groundwater and Surfacewater Database and Contribute to the PA Private Well Owner and Watershed Survey, but if you outside of Pennsylvania we will still provide assistance with reviewing your data and maintain a record.  For private well owners and water systems outside of Pennsylvania, please participate in this survey.

The database will provide information about the current state of groundwater and surface water quality and serve as a basis for monitoring impacts related to Marcellus gas drilling and other activity in our region.  The purpose of our database is twofold. We will use it to help us better understand the current and future groundwater and surface water quality for the region. The database will also be used to generate educational materials relating to regional water quality. The database is for research and education purposes, and will not be sold or used for any commercial purpose. The database is managed by representatives of the Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences Department at Wilkes University, i.e., Dr. Brian Redmond and Dr. Sid Halsor.  To protect your privacy, the research database file will only include the testing results, zip code, general information on well or water source, and the latitude and longitude of the sampling site. Your name, address, or other contact information will NOT be included within the database.

To learn More – go to Citizen Science and the Citizen Groundwater/ Surfacewater Database– The Concept. 

You can send a copy of your certified testing data- It is FREE!

In order to participate in this process, please do the following:

1. Information Document about the Program (Download a copy – fill it out -Please Keep for Your Reference).
2. Download a copy of the Consent Form to release to the Database and Sign and Return.
3. Send a copy of your certified laboratory testing results with Chain-of-Custody Documents.
4. Mail this information to:

Mr. Brian Oram, PG
Keystone Clean Water Team
15 Hillcrest Drive
Dallas, PA 18612
Questions  – call (570) 335-1947
or send a pdf version by email to bfenviro@ptd.net.

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 CCGG, enabling us to better understand and address the concerns of well owners.  We look for people that can forward solid articles, help coordinate local education efforts, and more.  Become part of the Keystone Clean Water Team!.

Everything we do began with an idea.

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.

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.  Waiting on Official Name change to the Keystone Clean Water Team by the IRS.  Unsolicited donations are appreciated.

Help the Organization and Get Your Water Tested or Order the Private Well Owner Guide (proceeds benefit This Organization).

Filed under Children's Health, Groundwater, Homeowner, marcellus shale, Water, Water Testing, Well · Tagged with , , , , , , ,

Fourteenth Year of Being Recognized as a Groundwater Guardian Community

Posted by on February 15, 2014 · 2 Comments 

Pennsylvania  GROUNDWATER GUARDIANS Recognized

The Carbon County Groundwater Guardians recently received national recognition from the Nebraska-based Groundwater Foundation, which designated the county as a “Groundwater Guardian Community.” This is the 14th (fourteenth) consecutive year the local group has received the award. To celebrate that recognition we announced our Free Well and Spring Testing and Screening Program and officially announcing the new name of the organization will be the Keystone Clean Water Team.  The Team will maintain the goals of the Groundwater Guardian Program and will include an objective to provide information and technical support to aid in the formation of new local Groundwater Guardian Organizations throughout Pennsylvania.

We also announcing our official ROA’s for 2014.  We have three  primary ROA or objects for 2014.  These include:

1. Providing fact based information without bias or spin. This information will be provided through our Web-Portal and Facebook Account or by joining the PA Groundwater Forum.
2. PA Groundwater Education, Private Well Owner Workshops, and assisting with the review of data being submitted to the PA Citizens Groundwater and Surfacewater Database in PA.
3. Groundwater and Surfacewater are connected.  Therefore, we will highlight key issues related to watershed management, riparian zones, sourcewater protection, and more.

“The greatest threat to our groundwater and water supply is lack of awareness and misinformation,” said Brian Oram, manager of the Keystone Clean Water Team and Carbon County Groundwater Program.   He explains that misinformation results in the support of efforts that ultimately do not solve the primary problems.   The organization, Oram said, “is a non-profit group designed to encourage citizen involvement in groundwater protection at the local level and to provided fact-based information on multiple topics”.

With the receipt of the Groundwater Guardian Community national award,  we are proud to be recognized and we hope to afford conducting a small celebration to promote this effort and the recent changes to the organization.  We would also like to recognize the new members for the board.   The members of the board include Mr. Rick Grant, Dr. Marleen Troy, Mrs. Susan Gallagher, Mr. Greg Sorber, and Mr. Brian Oram.   We also like to thank the effort and leadership of Mr. Frank Waksmunski.

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 CCGG, enabling us to better understand and address the concerns of well owners.  We look for people that can forward solid articles, help coordinate local education efforts, and more.  Become part of the Keystone Clean Water Team!.

Everything we do began with an idea.

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.

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.  Waiting on Official Name change to the Keystone Clean Water Team by the IRS.  Unsolicited donations are appreciated.

Help the Organization and Get Your Water Tested or Order the Private Well Owner Guide (proceeds benefit This Organization).

Filed under Children's Health, Energy, Environmental Fear, Environmental Health, Groundwater, marcellus shale, Methane Gas Migration, septic system, Sourcewater Protection, Unconventional Gas, Water, Water Testing, Well water testing · Tagged with , , , , , , ,

Shalefield Stories: Frontlines of Fracking Tell their Story to the Country

Posted by on February 13, 2014 · Leave a Comment 

Shalefield Stories: Residents on the Frontlines of Fracking Tell their story to the country

Philadelphia, PA — A newly released booklet, compiled by the citizen’s group Friends of the Harmed, is being released nationwide to make the case why fracking should not be expanded into other states.  The booklet, called Shalefield Stories, which PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center is helping to present, recounts stories of families living with illness, water contamination and damage to their livelihood—even as the current administration advocates to carry-on, full steam ahead, with fracking.

“Behind the alarming numbers that outline fracking’s environmental impacts, there are real people whose lives have been gravely impacted by these polluting practices,” said Kristen Cevoli, Fracking Program Director for PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center. “These are their stories, and it is our responsibility to heed their words of warning on fracking.”

People recalling their experiences with fracking damage in Shalefield Stories include:

  • Judy Armstrong Stiles of Bradford County, Pa., who spoke of the barium and arsenic that was found in her drinking water, and then in her blood, after Chesapeake began drilling on her land;
  • June Chappel of Washington County, Pa., who lived with a 15 million gallon fracking waste pit just 200 feet from her house; and
  • Terry Greenwood of Washington County PA, who lost 11 head of cattle after fracking fluid contaminated a pond and field on his farm.

Shalefield Stories was compiled by individual residents in Pennsylvania and is being released in a number of events across the country to highlight the tragedies that have impacted people in Pennsylvania, Colorado, Ohio, Texas, and West Virginia from growing amounts of shale gas drilling.

“The natural gas industry has stolen our land, polluted our streams and air, made our family and animals ill, and destroyed our peaceful way of life,” said David and Linda Headley, residents of Fayette County, PA in the report. “We want safer extraction, more concern for the environment, and accountability for the industry.”

One of the common themes running through Shalefield Stories is how people have become sick living on the frontlines of fracking.  In Bradford County, PA, shortly after drilling began in 2010, the Stiles family experienced a series of unexplained health problems, from extreme rashes that caused their skin to peel, stomach aches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and seizures.    An independent water test revealed dangerous levels of lead, methane, barium, arsenic, and other toxic chemicals in family’s tap water. Blood tests revealed barium and arsenic. Further testing revealed radon in the air, and radium and uranium in the water.

The toxic substances used in fracking fluid and wastewater have been linked to a variety of negative and serious health effects, such as cancer, endocrine disruption, and neurological and immune system problems.

“The only transparent part of this industry is the toxic contamination that it’s doing to our environment and to our democracy” stated Briget Shields of Friends of the Harmed, “This one of the reasons we put Shalefield Stories together – to expose what these drilling companies are doing to our families and communities.”

PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center presented Shalefield Stories today, as further mounting evidence of the dangerous and dirty practice of fracking in the state of Pennsylvania.

“For anyone across the nation who doubts the damage of dirty drilling, all they have to do is look to the nightmare unfolding in Pennsylvania. We have known this truth for some time. But now we are hearing it from the source, from the very people living on the frontlines of fracking,” concluded Cevoli. “We urge our decision-makers in Harrisburg to heed the warnings of their own constituents who have had to live with the consequences of dirty drilling, and take swift action to close the door on this dangerous practice.”

On the federal level, last summer the Obama administration received more than a million comments urging for much stronger protections from fracking for national forests and national parks. In addition, Rep. Matt Cartwright (PA) has introduced CLEANER (H.R. 2825) — a bill to close the loophole exempting oil and gas waste from the nation’s hazardous waste law.

Reference/Comment- Characteristics of Wastes  (I do agree that the states should be regulating under the Solid Waste Regulations- PA does due this already)!

“What experiences like these show is that states are not protecting people from this dirty drilling,” said Cevoli, of PennEnvironment. “It’s time for Washington to step in; ultimately they need to ban fracking in order to protect our environment and public health. They can start by barring fracking in and around our national parks and national forests, and closing the loopholes that exempts fracking from core provisions of our nation’s bedrock environmental and public health laws.”

For more information- Because of the size of the document (18 mb) and the unclear copyright provisions (18 mb) is appears the document may be available for free from Penn Environmental.

Personal Comments

1. I think it is a document that must be reviewed, please obtain a copy, review, and fact check.
2. I wish the authors provided more historic detail where predrilling testing was actually present and available.  Many of the problems or unknowns created by the lack of proper baseline testing.  A little more fact checking would have been nice.
3. I wish the authors went a little deeper that just listing cases, but did the follow through and remove claims that were later to be determined not to be related to natural gas development.  This makes the larger document suspect and takes away from the individuals that had an impact from spill or disturbance during the drilling problem.
4.Again -the document does that same as all the other posts – takes about the stuff that was found in the water, but really does not go into the details on pre-drilling levels, post-drilling levels, and what the levels really mean.  Please see the Well by Well Analysis for Dimock.
5. We have been working on groundwater and private well issues for a long time, it is not just about the documented presence, but the concentration and other information is critical.
6. PA residents can submit their data to the Citizens Database (In Development)
7. Impacts to private well and groundwater is NOT an issue that should be used as part of environmental spin.  There are real problems that require real solutions.  Many citizens need to understand what happened, how to fix, and how to protect their interest.

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 CCGG, enabling us to better understand and address the concerns of well owners.

Everything we do began with an idea.

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.

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.  Unsolicited donations are appreciated.

Help the Organization and Get Your Water Tested or Order the Private Well Owner Guide (proceeds benefit This Organization).

Filed under Children's Health, Environmental Fear, Environmental Health, Fossil Fuels, Groundwater, Homeowner, marcellus shale, Uncategorized, Unconventional Gas, Water, Water Testing, Well water testing · Tagged with , , , , , , ,

Free Well and Spring Water Screening Test

Posted by on January 8, 2014 · 11 Comments 

As part of our outreach and assistance to private well owners, we are offering a free water screening test.  The water screening test will check the general quality of your well or spring water and the testing will include pH, conductivity, total dissolved solids, iron, nitrate, nitrite, alkalinity, and total hardness.  To qualify for the testing, you will need to do the following:

1. Provide you full name, email address,  and mailing address with a general description of your water source. This should include your zip code, county, and local municipality and the water sample should be collected prior to any water treatment.
2. Provide a description of any water quality concerns or questions.
3. Provide a copy of any certified baseline testing or most recent water test.
4. Using a clean plastic spring water bottle or plastic container – collected a 200 ml water sample or 6 ozs- Remove any aeration devices and allow the water to run for 10 to 15 minutes prior to sampling.  Ship the sample to the address shown below.
5. State that you Liked our Websites on Facebook ( Keystone Clean Water Team) or Twitter @keystonewater or @KnowYourH2OPath

 

Mail your water sample to the following address.  Turn-around time may be as much as 2 weeks.

Keystone Clean Water Team(CCGG Program)
15 Hillcrest Drive
Dallas, PA 18612

There will be no charge for the analysis, but we will plan to use your testing results as part of our educational outreach program.   There will be NO sales calls for water treatment equipment and your contact information will NOT be sold to any third party.

If you are looking for more comprehensive information water testing, please visit our Private Well Owner Water Testing Portal.   If you are looking for certified baseline testing, please go to this webportal.

This program is supported by donations by individuals, businesses, and corporations. Please consider supporting this effort – ever dollars helps!

Looking for a water treatment system – Try !

Program is open to all private well owners in the United States.

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 CCGG, enabling us to better understand and address the concerns of well owners.

Everything we do began with an idea.

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.

For more information, please go to KCWT’s About Page or contact us.

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.

Get Your Water Tested or Order the Private Well Owner Guide (proceeds benefit This Organization).

Filed under acid mine drainage, Arsenic, consumer products, Environmental Health, Groundwater, Homeowner, marcellus shale, Nitrate, Water, Water Testing, Well water testing · Tagged with , , , , , , ,

Penn State surveys roadside springs

Posted by on January 7, 2014 · Leave a Comment 

blog.pennlive.com/pa-sportsman/2014/01/penn_state_surveys_roadside_springs_grouse_meeting_and_more_outdoor_insider.html

By Marcus Schneck | mschneck@pennlive.com
January 05, 2014

Nearly all of the 35 roadside springs across Pennsylvania – all heavily used for drinking water supplies – checked by researchers in a Penn State Extension survey failed at least one drinking water standard. Roadside springs are a common source of drinking water in Pennsylvania, but little is known about the quality of the water. Penn State Water Resources Extension Educators Jim Clark and Diane Oleson surveyed the springs to determine the drinking water. The 35 roadside springs included in the survey were mostly located within PennDOT road rights-of-ways in 19 counties. Water samples were collected by seven Penn State Water Resources Extension Educators between April and August of 2013. Each sample was analyzed for 20 common inorganic and microbiological water quality parameters by the Agricultural Analytical Services Laboratory at Penn State.

Overall, 97 percent of the roadside springs failed at least one drinking water standard. The most common health-related pollutants were coliform bacteria (91 percent), E. coli bacteria (34 percent) and lead (3 percent). Other common pollutants that could cause various tastes or other aesthetic issues included corrosive water (89 percent), low pH (40 percent), sediment (31 percent), iron (6 percent) and manganese (6 percent). Several pollutants were not found in any of the springs in excessive concentrations including aluminum, nitrate, arsenic, barium, copper and chloride. Clark and Oleson suggest that these results should provide caution for anyone currently collecting and drinking water from a roadside spring.

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 CCGG, enabling us to better understand and address the concerns of well owners.

Everything we do began with an idea.

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.

For more information, please go to CCGG’s About Page or contact us.

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.  Unsolicited donations are appreciated.

Help the Organization and Get Your Water Tested or Order the Private Well Owner Guide (proceeds benefit This Organization).

Filed under Groundwater, Homeowner, Methane Gas Migration, Water, Water Testing · Tagged with , , ,

Free Webinars on Groundwater Education and Related Topics

Posted by on August 31, 2013 · 2 Comments 

The Carbon County Groundwater Guardians are providing links to some of the best FREE Webinars on Groundwater Management, Sustainability, Water Well Education and Much More.

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 CCGG, enabling us to better understand and address the concerns of well owners.

Everything we do began with an idea.

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.

For more information, please go to CCGG’s About Page or contact us.

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..  Unsolicited donations are appreciated.

Help the Organization and Get Your Water Tested or Order the Private Well Owner Guide (proceeds benefit This Organization).

Filed under Children's Health, Groundwater, Homeowner, Sourcewater Protection, Water, Water Testing, Well, Well water testing · Tagged with , , , , , ,

Act 13 Grant Application Baseline Tesitng Luzerne, Lackawanna, and Columbia County Pennsylvania

Posted by on August 19, 2013 · Leave a Comment 

Notice of Grant Application
The Pocono Northeast Resource Conservation & Development Council has submitted a grant application to the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development that could allow our organization and its partners to use financial resources from the Marcellus Legacy Fund to implement a Baseline Water Quality Testing Program in the Council’s service area. Through this grant, we hope to complete testing in Columbia, Lackawanna, and Luzerne Counties.  As it is a requirement for this grant, we are notifying you that if we are successful in obtaining the funds, we could be working within your jurisdiction.
The Marcellus Shale underlies eight of the ten counties in the Council’s service area. Most of the residents we serve are either directly or indirectly impacted by unconventional shale gas development. In addition, approximately 60% of the residents rely on private wells for their drinking water needs, putting them at increased risk. Monitoring and documenting baseline conditions is critical to not only protecting rural water sources and the environment, but also to safeguard the larger community water supply water sources.
The main elements of the project will include:
1.      Educate private well owners on baseline water quality issues;
2.      Provide free baseline water testing, conducted by a certified testing laboratory and collected by trained samplers, for approximately 200 private well owners, giving priority to those over the age of 65 or families that have a median income of less than 2 times the poverty level in our project area;
3.      Offer free assistance to review baseline testing conducted by this project or conducted by the individual private well owner or given to the private well owner within our service area;
4.      Implement a training program for samplers conducting baseline analysis to ensure the use of proper chain-of-custody, field collection, testing, and documentation, and reporting of the data;
5.      Provide assistance to all private well owners that participated in this project by providing a “non-
technical” review of the testing results explained in plain language, a free copy of  Pennsylvania Groundwater Quality: Your Private Well: What Do the Results Mean?, and conducting regional education outreach events; and
6.      The data, excluding confidential contact information, will be maintained by the certified laboratory and the Council in a spreadsheet format that can be then added to the Citizen Groundwater and Surface Water Database or other state and regional databases.
The Pocono Northeast R C & D Council appreciates your interest and support for this project. It will provide valuable data on the status of rural wells, as well as ensure that the participants in the study will be better off with its completion. Please contact us with any questions you may have at 570-234-3577.
http://www.pnercd.org

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 CCGG, enabling us to better understand and address the concerns of well owners.

Everything we do began with an idea.

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.

For more information, please go to CCGG’s About Page or contact us.

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..  Unsolicited donations are appreciated.

Help the Organization and Get Your Water Tested or Order the Private Well Owner Guide (proceeds benefit This Organization).

Filed under "Beneficial Use", Children's Health, Environmental Fear, Environmental Health, marcellus shale, Methane Gas Migration, Sourcewater Protection, Unconventional Gas, Water, Water Testing, Well, Well water testing · Tagged with , , , , , , , ,

NGWA Seeks Comment on Draft of Water Well Construction Standard

Posted by on July 19, 2013 · 1 Comment 

NGWA Seeks Comment on Draft of Water Well Construction Standard
 it is important to comment – because it is likely that this will be the starting point for a Pennsylvania based standard. 
Public comment on the substantive changes to the draft of the ANSI/NGWA-07-13 Water Well Construction Standard will be accepted through the close of business on August 25.Comments received will be considered in the final water well construction standard to be submitted for approval to ANSI (American National Standards Institute).

A “standard” is a formal technical document for generally accepted processes, procedures, and policies. NGWA is seeking establishment of standards to protect groundwater resources and public health, and to help ensure capable professionals by establishing a benchmark for water well construction.

Part of the ANSI standard development process involves posting any substantive changes for public comment.

The document up for revision only contains the changes that have been made since the last public review.

Among the areas covered by the proposed standard are:

  • Well site selection
  • Casing and casing installation
  • Screens, filter packs, and formation stabilizer
  • Grouting
  • Plumbness and alignment
  • Well development
  • Testing for well performance
  • Data recording
  • Disinfection with chlorine
  • Water sampling
  • Permanent well and test hole decommissioning.

Among those encouraged to comment are stakeholders in the groundwater industry including contractors, regulators, scientists, engineers, suppliers, and manufacturers, as well as consumers such as private and public water well owners.

Interested parties should download the drafted amendments, as well as the comment form located at www.NGWA.org, or contact NGWA Industry Practices Administrator/Certification Coordinator Jessica Rhoads for these documents; comments will only be accepted via the approved form and must be received by e-mail, fax, or postal mail on or before 5 p.m. ET August 25.

For further information, contact Rhoads at jrhoads@ngwa.org or (800) 551-7379 (614-898-7791), ext. 511.

Filed under Children's Health, Groundwater, Homeowner, Water, Water Testing, Well, Well water testing · Tagged with , , , , ,

Pennsylvania Abandoned Mine Reclamation Conference August 2013

Posted by on July 7, 2013 · 3 Comments 

PA AMR Conference Seeking Sponsors & Exhibitors for 15th Anniversary Conference-August 9-10th by Robert Hughes

Are you interested in becoming a part of the longest running Pennsylvania Statewide Conference on Abandoned Mine Reclamation as we forge ahead into the future of reclamation in PA? Sponsorship at one of our convenient levels is a great way to get involved. And there are some great perks too!

The Conference will provide a forum for the dissemination of information and encourage discussions between industry, watershed groups, and decision makers that can help to further innovations in public policy, abandoned mine reclamation, remediation, and restoration of PA’s watersheds and communities impacted by AMD and abandoned mine lands. Celebrate 15 years with us in 2013! We’ve come a long way, but we still have a long way to go!

Gold Sponsor – Donate $5000 or more & you will receive:
Sponsor listing ( Placement on website, logo placement, full page logo in program booklet, placards, press releases, opening & closing remarks)

Jumbo Exhibit Area near the entrance to the most heavy traffic areas of the Conference*
3 complementary Conference registrations (please include name of registrant(s) with check)
1 Opportunity to make a presentation at the Conference

Silver Sponsor – Donate $3000 or more & you will receive:
Sponsor listing (Placement on website, logo placement, ½ page logo in program booklet, placards, press releases, opening & closing remarks)
Jumbo Exhibit Area near the hustle and bustle of the conference happenings*
2 complementary conference registrations (please include name of registrant with check)
1 Opportunity to make a presentation at the Conference

Bronze Sponsor – Donate $1000 or more & you will receive:
Sponsor listing (Placement on website, logo placement, ¼ page logo in program booklet, placards, press releases, opening & closing remarks)
Standard Exhibit Area near the hustle and bustle of the conference happenings*
1 complementary conference registration (please include name of registrant with check)

*Sponsors and Exhibitors must bring their own 10′ extension cords. Please stop by the registration table at the PA AMR Conference to find out where we have reserved space for your exhibit. You may setup from 7AM to 8:30AM on Friday and please plan to take down your exhibit by no later than 12:30PM on Saturday. Please contact Robert Hughes at 570-371-3523, rhughes@epcamr.org if you have any questions.

Please make checks payable to “EPCAMR” or use our EPCAMR Online Store for credit card payments. You may direct questions and send payments to:

Robert E. Hughes, Executive Director
EPCAMR
101 S. Main Street
Ashley, PA 18706
Phone: 570-371-3523

You can remove the one section that says posted on June 5m 2013 by Robert Hughes..if you want..the website is www.treatminewater.com

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 CCGG, enabling us to better understand and address the concerns of well owners.

Everything we do began with an idea.

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.

For more information, please go to CCGG’s About Page or contact us.

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.  Help the Organization and Get Your Water Tested or Order the Private Well Owner Guide (proceeds benefit This Organiazation).

Filed under "Beneficial Use", acid mine drainage, Groundwater, marcellus shale, Nonprofits, Unconventional Gas, Water · Tagged with , , , , ,

Water Wells in Proximity to Natural Gas Development

Posted by on July 5, 2013 · 4 Comments 

Not our work

“Home prices fell in some parts of the Marcellus Shale region of the country after drilling began, and rose in other parts, and the difference was whether the families’ drinking water came from wells or municipal water mains, a study by Resources for the Future (RFF) reported in late June.  (Note RFF-“RFF research on energy focuses on key sectors, including electric power, transportation, and unconventional fuels, and evaluates options to promote new, efficient technologies and the sustainable development of energy resources.”)

For homes within about 1 mile of a shale gas well, sale prices rose 10% from 2004 to 2009 if families were served by piped-in water, most likely due to expectations of increased value from gas drilling leases, RFF concluded.

Prices of homes dependent upon well water fell 16% in that period, which the RFF researchers said may be linked to fears of potential groundwater contamination from shale drilling operations.  (Note- Could be linked to economy, the owner did not own the mineral rights, the house was over leveraged, etc etc)

The survey covered homes in Washington County, Pennsylvania, south of Pittsburgh, where the number of gas wells jumped from five in 2005 to more than 490 wells by 2009.

The swing in home values was a significant 26%. “Even if shale gas operations do not contaminate groundwater in the short run, the stigma from the possibility of future groundwater contamination may negatively affect property values, resulting in important long-term consequences for homeowners,” the researchers said.

RFF released this study and others June 27 from its 18-month examination of risks and regulations surrounding shale gas development.
Note – I did not find the study on their website or a pres release about the study

A theme in several investigations is the lack of credible data on the impacts of drilling operations, members of the RFF research teams said.

“We have no data whatsoever on actual degradation of groundwater. We don’t know,” said RFF’s Lucija Muehlenbachs, commenting on the housing prices study. “This is just perceptions” by county residents, but perceptions matter in this case, she said.

NGWA has published an information brief on wells that are in proximity to natural gas/oil installations.Click here to read the information brief.”   For specific guidance on Pennsylvania – get this booklet – proceeds benefit groundwater education in Pennsylvania.

Othere Resources from RFF
Survey of Regulations in 31 states -The maps are available through a user-friendly, online interface: www.rff.org/shalemaps.

To learn more about RFF’s work on managing the risks of shale gas development, visit www.rff.org/shalegasrisks.  Risk Matrix
 
Shale gas by state

My personal comments (From the Desk of Mr. Brian Oram)

1. Please note the words – stigma, possibility, and  no data whatsoever on actual degradation of groundwater.
2. I think this article is more a statement about fear, unknown, and a climate or environment that promotes spin over facts.
3. The lease terms and conditions and the ownership of the subsurface rights impacts value.  Therefore a bad lease or incomplete lease will impact value.
4. Baseline testing is needed and the real estate industry is just really getting to understand risk as it relates to the housing market, but there are a lot of risk issues – gasoline stations, airports, dams, floodways, mining, industrial development, agricultural manure management, roadways, landfills, pipelines , etc.
5. Until recently the real estate industry only requested water testing for bacteria and maybe nitrates even though the other problems were known.
6. The article I think is more about no really knowing the risk and a past history of understanding the risk.  Also – this County has a long history of abandon oil and gas wells.
7. Oil and Gas Database PA How to Access
8. Expect More from the NGWA when they recommend articles.
9. Movies that promote SPIN on either side over FACTS – create unknown – creates fear and lack of trust.
10. Lets not forget the economy
11. We have always recommended getting a complete baseline test on the water quality of your well water, inspection of your home, and my business does conduct online database searchs of known harzardous as part of real estate transactions.
12. Make decisions based on facts not fear.  I know we are humans so this is difficult.
13. I finally found the publication  (pdf – March 2013)

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 CCGG, enabling us to better understand and address the concerns of well owners.

Everything we do began with an idea.

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.

For more information, please go to CCGG’s About Page or contact us.

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.  Help the Organization and Get Your Water Tested or Order the Private Well Owner Guide (proceeds benefit This Organiazation).

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