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 Posted Saturday, February 26, 2011 |
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The Times Tribune.com Natural Gas Drilling: Polluted Wastewater, partially treated, pours into PA. - Published Jan, 7, 2011
This page is a collation of the data from the Times Tribune link below:
I have ammended PA_DEP fracture chemical content links, Sierra Club's info on unregulated diesil fuels used in fracking and shale formation compounds at the end of this compilation.
http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/gas-drilling/natural-gas-drilling-polluted-wastewater-map-1.1087350?parentPage=2.2127#axzz1EvJrjMUw
NEW ADDITIONAL MAP LINK NOT COLLATED HERE BUT INVALUABLE NONE THE LESS:
N.Y.Times PA Gas well Toxins interactive data map for Radium, Uranium, Gross Alpha levels and Benzene:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/02/27/us/natural-gas-map.html
Map top legend note:
Wastewater from Pennsylvania's natural gas wells, intensely salty and polluted with toxins like barium and strontium
is partially treated, diluted and then dumped into rivers and streams that supply public drinking water. Most states
require natural gas drillers to get rid of the stuff by injecting it down shafts thousands of feet deep.
Lower top legend:
Click wastewater treatment plants to see
nearest drinking water intakes downstream
starting in PA treatment plants from east to west:
1. Neshaminy Creek, Delaware River Tributary: In Hatfield 1.8 million gallons of wastewater were treated by PSC
Environmental - Hatfield Township Municiple Authority from July 2009 through June 2010.
It was then dumped into the West Branch Neshanminy Creek.
Drinking water is taken out of the river at Langhorne, which is 35 miles downstream.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2, West Branch Susquehanna River, tributary to the Susquehanna River: In South Williamsport 4.2 million gallons of
wastewater were treated by Williamsport Sanitary authority - Central Wastewater Treatment Plant from July 2009
through June 2010.
It was then dumped into the West Branch Susquehanna River.
Drinking water is taken out of the river at Milton, which is 28.5 miles downstream.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Susquehanna River: In Selinsgrove 15.1 million gallons of wastewater were treated by Sunbury Generation from July 2009 through June
2010.
It was then dumped into the Susquehanna River.
Drinking water is taken out of the river at Susquehanna Township, which is 43.5 miles downstream.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. Clarion river, a tributary to the Allegheny River:
In Ridgway 1.5 million gallons of wastewater were treated by Brough of Ridgway Sewage Treatment Plant from July
2009 through June 2010.
It was then dumped into the Clarion River.
Drinking water is taken out of the river at Clarion, which is 57.5 miles downstream.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
5. Sandy Lick Creek a tributary to the Allegheny River:
In reynoldsville 0.3 million gallons of wastewater were treated by Reynoldsville Sewage Authority from July 2009
through June 2010.
It was then dumped into the Sandy Lick Creek.
Drinking water is taken out of the river at Hawthorn, which is 40 miles downstream.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
6. Conemaugh River, a tributary to the Allegheny River:
In Johnstown 10.2 millions gallons of wastewater were treated by the Johnstown Redevelopment Authority - Dormick Point
Treatment Plant from July 2009 through June 2010.
It was then dumped into the Conemaugh River.
Drinking water is taken out of the river at Freeport, which is 73 miles downstream.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7. McKee Run, a tributary to the Allegheny River:
In Creekside 2.1 million gallons of wastewater were treated by Hart Resource Technologies from July 2009 through June
2010.
It was then dumped into the McKee Run.
Drinking water is taken out of the river at Freeport, which is 48 miles downstream.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
8. Blacklick Creek, a tributary to the Allegheny River:
In Josephine 19.9 million gallons of wastewater were treated by Pennsylvania Brine Treatment, Inc. from July
2009 through June 2010.
It was then dumped into the Blacklick Creek.
Drinking water is atken out of the river at Freeport, which is 56 miles downstream.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
9. Conemaugh River, atributary to the Allegheny River:
In Saltsburg 18.5 milliom gallons of wastewater were treated by Tunnelton Liquids Co., Saltsburg from July
2009 through June 2010.
It was then dumped into the Conemaugh River.
Drinking water is taken out of the river at Freeport, whic his 32 miles downstream.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
10. Kiskiminetas River is a tributary of the Allegheny River:
In Apollo 3.8 million gallons of wastewater were treated by McCutcheon Enterprises Biosolids Treatment
Facility at Apollo from July 2009 through June 2010.
It was then dumped into the Kiskiminetas river.
Drinking water is taken out of the river at Freeport, which is 10 miles downstream.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
11. Allegheny River:
In Warren 7.9 million gallons of wastwater were treated by Waste Treatment Corp. from July 2009
through June 2010.
It was then dumped into the Allegheny River.
Drinking water is taken out of the river at Emlenton, which is 73.5 miles downstream.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
12. Allegheny River:
In Franklin 16.9 million gallons of wastewater were treated by Pennsylvania Brine Treatment from July
2009 through June 2010.
It ws then dumped into the Allegheny River.
Drinking water is taken out of the river at Emlenton, which is 32 miles downstream.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
13. Peters Creek, a tributary to Allegheny River:
In Clairton 0.2 million gallons of wastewater were treated by Clairton Minicple Authority from July
2009 through June 2010.
It was then dumped into the Peters Creek.
Drinking water is taken out of the river at Pittsburgh, which is 15.6 miles downstream.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
14. Monongahela River:
In McKeesport 1.8 million gallons of wastewater were treated by Minicple Authority of McKeesport from
July 2009 through June 2010.
It was then dumped into the Monongahela River.
Drinking water is taken out of the river at Pittsburgh, which is 11.3 miles downstream.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
15. South Fork Tenmile Creek is a tributary to the Monongahela river:
In Franklin 0.4 million gallons of wastewater were treated by Tri-County Wastewater Management Inc. -
Franklin Sewer Authority from July 2009 through June 2010.
It was then dumped into the South Fork Tenmile Creek.
Drinking water is taken out of the river at Frederickstown, which is 24 miles downstream.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
16. Mahoning River, a tributary to the Ohio river;
In New Castle 39.4 million gallons of wastewater were treated by Advanced Waste Services from July 2009
through June 2010.
It was then dumped into the Mahoning River.
Drinking water is taken out of the river at Beaver Falls, which is 18 miles downstream.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
COMMENT: Looking at the worst cases for health study on effected drinking water from gas well wastwater in PA communities based on the above data, I would not want to live in Beaver Falls, Pittsburgh or Freeport! Serious studies should be conducted on the residents of these towns to help forecast future health effects in other locals in the state, since gas well drilling will be increasing the number of permitted wells in coming years under gas-friendly governor, Tom Corbett!
At this point it is prudent to post a link to the incomplete list of fracture chemicals posted by the PA-DEP
DEP_Frac_Chemical_List_6_30-PDF.pdf
Also it would be prudent to comment on shale formation compounds that make up fracture surface-returned fluids:
Brine that is 50 times more saline than ocean water makes up the most plentiful part of flowback/produced/formation wastewater. The brine under the intense pressures of fracking, tends to condense the existing heavy metals like strontium, barium, and radium and NORM, Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials. Radon Gas is present wherever Radium resides. In N.Y. 13 gas wells were closed on Nov. 3rd 2009 for Radium and Uranium radiation.
A N.Y.Gas & Oil Well Waste Study from April 1999:
(http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/materials_minerals_pdf/normrpt.pdf)
This study states that of all the known radioactive NORM present in gas well and oil well wastes the only one that raised a "red flag" due to its higher than expected concentrations were Radium, Ra-226 and Ra 228.
and also added Sierra Club document on diesel fuels used in fracture fluids:
Toxic Diesel Fuel Used Without Permits in Fracking Operations
WASHINGTON, DC, February 4, 2011 (ENS) - Oil and gas service companies have injected over 32 million gallons of diesel fuel or hydraulic fracturing fluids containing diesel fuel into wells in 19 states between 2005 and 2009, without permits, a congressional investigation has revealed.
Begun by three Democratic members of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce in February 2010, the investigation looked at the potential impact on water quality of using diesel fuel injected at extremely high pressure to crack rock seams, releasing the natural gas and oil trapped within.
Under the 2005 Energy Policy Act, any company that performs hydraulic fracturing using diesel fuel must receive a permit to be in compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act.
In the course of their investigation, Representatives Henry Waxman of California, Edward Markey of Massachusetts, and Diana DeGette of Colorado sent letters to 14 oil and gas service companies requesting information about the type and volume of chemicals they used in hydraulic fracturing fluids between 2005 and 2009.
All the companies voluntarily provided the committee with data on the volume of diesel fuel and other hydraulic fracturing fluids they used during the five year period. Twelve of the 14 companies acknowledged using diesel in their fracking operations.
In a letter to U.S. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson dated January 31, the legislators wrote, "We learned that no oil and gas service companies have sought - and no state and federal regulators have issued - permits for diesel fuel use in hydraulic fracturing."
"This appears to be a violation of the Safe Drinking Water Act," they wrote. "It also means that the companies injecting diesel fuel have not performed the environmental reviews required by the law."
The EPA's Office of Research and Development also is currently conducting a scientific study to examine the possible relationships between hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, and drinking water quality.
"A key unanswered question is whether the unregulated injection of diesel fuel or fluids containing diesel is adversely affecting drinking water supplies," the legislators wrote to Jackson.
None of the hydraulic fracturing service companies track the nearness of the wells they fracture to underground sources of drinking water, which they said is the responsibility of the oil and gas well operators.
For this reason, the legislators told Jackson they have been "unable to draw definitive conclusions about the potential impact of these injections on public health or the environment."
Analysis of data provided by the companies shows that BJ Services used the most diesel fuel and fluids containing diesel, more than 11.5 million gallons, followed by Halliburton, which used 7.2 million gallons.
Four other companies, RPC (4.3 million gallons), Sanjel (3.6 million gallons), Weatherford (2.1 million gallons), and Key Energy Services (1.6 million gallons), used more than one million gallons of diesel fuel and fluids containing diesel.
Of the 19 states where diesel-containing fluids were injected, Texas accounted for half of the total volume injected, 16 million gallons.
The companies injected at least one million gallons of diesel-containing fluids in Oklahoma, North Dakota, Louisiana, Wyoming, and Colorado.
In total, the companies used 10.2 million gallons of straight diesel fuel and 21.8 million gallons of products containing at least 30 percent diesel fuel.
But in January 2010, Energy In Depth, a group representing most of America's oil and gas producers, wrote that "diesel fuel is simply not used in fracturing operations."
"The industry has been saying they stopped injecting toxic diesel fuel into wells. But our investigation showed this practice has been continuing in secret and in apparent violation" of the Safe Drinking Water Act, said Waxman, a former chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and currently the panel's ranking Democrat.
Diesel fuel contains toxics, including benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes. The Department of Health and Human Services, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have determined that benzene is a human carcinogen.
Chronic exposure to toluene, ethylbenzene, or xylenes has been shown to cause damage to the central nervous system, liver, and kidneys.
While fracking is used in more than 90 percent of natural gas and oil wells, not all fracking operations use diesel fuel. Other fracking fluids are water-based, but some formations cannot be cracked by these fluids because clay or other substances in the rock absorb water.
Last August, more than 25 conservation organizations wrote to Waxman and Markey and separately to the EPA, urging probes into the use of diesel in fracking operations and its effect on drinking water quality.
The Environmental Working Group is pleased that their prompts have yielded information.
"Companies are increasingly drilling in populated areas and using ever more intensive hydraulic fracturing in shale formations," said EWG Senior Counsel Dusty Horwitt. "Reps. Waxman, Markey and DeGette deserve credit for pursuing this important investigation and working to ensure that drilling is conducted carefully and in compliance with our laws."
A final comment needs to be made about the existing treatment technologies for fracture wastewater. Most well operations use a mixed variety of about 13 different fracture chemicals which are used from a selection of over 900 chemical products to produce specific effects underground. A treatment plant would be completely unable to remove any unknown
fracture chemicals. Heavy metals can be filtered out of fluids, but radiation is also not removable from these fluids.
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| Posted Thursday, March 10, 2011 |
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Group: Forum Members
Last Login: Thursday, March 10, 2011
Posts: 1,
Visits: 1
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| Heard a presentation by the Acting State Geologist regarding Marcellus Shale drilling proposed for Catskill and NY. This followed a presentation of Gasland. From the comments it looks like a slam-dunk for the gas industry! Please provide lobby information for the Albany, NY area to fight this shameful process.
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