Frack Your Wells and Fuck Your Water
on February 3rd, 2010 at 8:13 pmWhy isn't anyone talking about this? Or am I not looking in the right places? And by the way, duh.
Gas drilling in Appalachia yields a foul byproduct
By MARC LEVY and VICKI SMITHThe Associated Press
Tuesday, February 2, 2010; 2:40 PMHARRISBURG, Pa. — A drilling technique that is beginning to unlock staggering quantities of natural gas underneath Appalachia also yields a troubling byproduct: powerfully briny wastewater that can kill fish and give tap water a foul taste and odor.
With fortunes, water quality and cheap energy hanging in the balance, exploration companies, scientists and entrepreneurs are scrambling for an economical way to recycle the wastewater.
"Everybody and his brother is trying to come up with the 11 herbs and spices," said Nicholas DeMarco, executive director of the West Virginia Oil and Natural Gas Association.
Drilling crews across the country have been flocking since late 2008 to the Marcellus Shale, a rock bed the size of Greece that lies about 6,000 feet beneath New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio. Geologists say it could become the most productive natural gas field in the U.S., capable of supplying the entire country's needs for up to two decades by some estimates.
Before that can happen, the industry is realizing that it must solve the challenge of what to do with its wastewater. As a result, the Marcellus Shale in on its way to being the nation's first gas field where drilling water is widely reused.
The polluted water comes from a drilling technique known as hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," in which millions of gallons of water, sand and chemicals are blasted into each well to fracture tightly compacted shale and release trapped natural gas. Read more.
thanks for the hat tip! …but more importantly, for making more folks aware!
I don't know about construction sites in NY. Fortunately, though, there seems to have been little action in NY state thus far (give them time). I've done a brief search but can't find anything on Webster. One of the ways you can begin is by starting here (http://www.gomarcellusshale.com/) and following links. Good luck!
There's a water treatment facility being constructed in Webster NY. I'm wondering if the waste water from fracking sites will be transported there eventually. Any guidance on where to find information? Where is the Wayne Co. well site?
Uke, thanks for stopping by and commenting. I don't know enough about the whole thing, but I'm learning pretty quickly.
Hey–this post ended up in the spam somehow–I'll add you in on the list of Marcellus Shale sources I'm prepping. Thanks for stopping by.
It's not just the waste water that's the problem. It's that 70% of the chemical-water cocktail is left in the ground — which is porous shale. The chemicals have been known to migrate more than 25 miles.
Hey man, we're talking about it!
Also check out http://splashdownpa.blogspot.com as a good jump off point for some awesome resource links!
In PA you could check with the local newspapers in Susquehanna and Wayne counties. I know the Susquehanna Transcript and the Susquehanna Independent have run stories. The local news channel, which has done some stories, wnep.com , might have pieces stored in their archieves. Wayne County along with the DEP has been successful in shutting them down near the Honesdale area because of the possibility of water contamination. The local governments are trying to keep a lid on it because there's too money involved. They're already counting their chickens.