Posts Tagged ‘water’

Canonsburg, PA – The Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC) is actively working to reduce the amount of water taken to surface discharge facilities and is crafting solutions to address the issue of bromides entering waterways. When present with organic matter and chlorine – commonly used to at drinking water plants – brominated species of trihalomethanes (THMs) can form. Bromide, however, is not a public health concern, unless it reacts with other elements to form THMs above safe drinking water standards over an extended period of time. There are many known bromide contributors in our waterways. Marcellus operators are recycling significant and growing amounts of water; these figures continue to increase as technologies advance.

Kathryn Klaber, president and executive director of the MSC, issued the following statement:

“Research by Carnegie Mellon University and Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority experts suggests that the natural gas industry is a contributing factor to elevated levels of bromide in the Allegheny and Beaver Rivers. We are committed to leading efforts, and working alongside DEP and other stakeholders, to address these issues quickly and straightforwardly, and support the appropriate action taken by DEP today. As emphasized in our Guiding Principles, our industry will continue to implement state-of-the-art environmental protection across our operations and operate in a transparent and responsible manner.”

Gov. Tom Ridge, an MSC strategic advisor, added this:

“The Marcellus Shale Coalition remains committed to developing this great natural resource in a responsible manner. When sound research is brought to our attention, we will take swift action to address issues directly, as laid out in our Guiding Principles. We support DEP’s efforts, and will continue to work aggressively and collaboratively to craft solutions aimed to protecting our waterways and our environment.”

Copyright: Marcellus Shale Coalition

Canonsburg, PA – The Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC) is actively working to reduce the amount of water taken to surface discharge facilities and is crafting solutions to address the issue of bromides entering waterways. When present with organic matter and chlorine – commonly used to at drinking water plants – brominated species of trihalomethanes (THMs) can form. Bromide, however, is not a public health concern, unless it reacts with other elements to form THMs above safe drinking water standards over an extended period of time. There are many known bromide contributors in our waterways. Marcellus operators are recycling significant and growing amounts of water; these figures continue to increase as technologies advance.

Kathryn Klaber, president and executive director of the MSC, issued the following statement:

“Research by Carnegie Mellon University and Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority experts suggests that the natural gas industry is a contributing factor to elevated levels of bromide in the Allegheny and Beaver Rivers. We are committed to leading efforts, and working alongside DEP and other stakeholders, to address these issues quickly and straightforwardly, and support the appropriate action taken by DEP today. As emphasized in our Guiding Principles, our industry will continue to implement state-of-the-art environmental protection across our operations and operate in a transparent and responsible manner.”

Gov. Tom Ridge, an MSC strategic advisor, added this:

“The Marcellus Shale Coalition remains committed to developing this great natural resource in a responsible manner. When sound research is brought to our attention, we will take swift action to address issues directly, as laid out in our Guiding Principles. We support DEP’s efforts, and will continue to work aggressively and collaboratively to craft solutions aimed to protecting our waterways and our environment.”

• “By recycling the wastewater, they can reduce their transportation costs and the overall environmental footprint of the industry”
• “There’s nothing in flowback water that’s particularly difficult for an environmental engineer to manage”
• “The DEP analyses are determining that the average daily consumption in the shale industry is ‘no greater than one of our power plants’”

“Expert Says Marcellus Drillers Reusing Two-Thirds of Water”: A hydrogeologist from Penn State says companies drilling in the Marcellus Shale play through hydraulic fracturing (hydrofracking) are recycling about two-thirds of the wastewater that returns to the surface. David Yoxtheimer, a researcher with the university’s Marcellus Center for Outreach and Research, presented his findings Sunday at the annual Geological Society of America conference in Pittsburgh. “The regulatory framework is such that there are higher costs to take wastewater to a treatment facility that is permitted to treat and dispose of that water, plus more higher costs for them to get more fresh water and haul it in,” Yoxtheimer told NGI’s Shale Daily on Tuesday. “By recycling the wastewater, they can reduce their transportation costs and the overall environmental footprint of the industry.” … Yoxtheimer found that the 30-day average recovery of flowback totaled between 8% and 10%. He said that from June 2008 to May 2010, drilling companies had reused about 44.1 million gallons and disposed of 21 million gallons, a recycling rate of nearly 67%. (Shale Daily, 3/23/11)

Carnegie Mellon University Environmental Engineering Professor: “There’s nothing in flowback water that’s particularly difficult for an environmental engineer to manage,” said [Kelvin Gregory, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, who has studied recycling operations]. (Philly Inquirer, 3/23/11)

“Gas drillers reuse two-thirds of water, expert finds”: A Penn State University researcher found that Marcellus shale gas drilling companies reused at least two-thirds of the water returned to the surface during 30 days of drilling. “The industry is striving to reuse as much flowback as possible,” said David Yoxtheimer, a hydrogeologist with Penn State’s Marcellus Center for Outreach and Research. … Reusing the water reduces reliance on groundwater or municipal sources of water, reducing the environmental impact, said Yoxtheimer. (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 3/21/11)

PSU Hydrogeologist:Marcellus Water Use a Fraction of Other Sources, Industrial Purposes: Yoxtheimer cited data from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, which found 9.48 billion gallons of water are being extracted from surface and groundwater sources every day in Pennsylvania. Of that amount, 1.9 million gallons per day (gpd) is used in Marcellus Shale development. By comparison, thermoelectric power uses 6.43 billion gpd, the public water supply draws 1.42 billion gpd and industrial users are taking 770 million gpd. (Shale Daily, 3/23/11)

“Marcellus Water Issue Overrated, Pennsylvania [DEP] Official Says”: Water use in Marcellus Shale drilling “may not be as big an issue as we originally thought it was,” a Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) official told a natural gas forum on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, last Wednesday. Dana Aunkst, an engineer and DEP’s acting deputy secretary for field operations, said the DEP analyses are determining that the average daily consumption in the shale industry is “no greater than one of our power plants.” … There are no current health hazards but said the state is taking “precautionary controls” and intends to require close monitoring of wastewater, along with “accelerating the frequency at which downstream drinking water intakes may have to monitor their water just to be on the safe side.” (Shale Daily, 3/21/11)

Posted: March 22, 2011

Copyright: PSU.edu

Posted: March 06, 2011

MATT HUGHES mhughes@timesleader.com

HANOVER TWP. – Audience members asked a lot of questions at Tuesday’s meeting of the Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority Board meeting, but few walked away with the answers they sought.

The board has for the past 18 months been studying the feasibility of opening an additional facility to treat flow-back water produced by hydraulic fracturing, the process used by natural gas drillers to unlock gas trapped in shale formations.

About 50 packed the meeting room at the authority to comment on the project, which would be built on sanitary authority property in the Lyndwood section of the township.

They voiced concerns about air and noise pollution, the number of trucks that would visit the facility daily, chemicals, heavy metals and radioactive materials in the flowback water, and contamination of the Susquehanna River in the event of an accident.

Chairman James Hankey said the board is still conducting its study and considering different types of facility and different methods of bringing water there for treatment, and as such did not have the answers to many questions asked.

There are no concrete plans or timeline in place for the project, the board said.

When asked by audience members, Hankey responded he could not say if water treated by the facility would contain hazardous or radioactive chemicals, what would be done with sediment removed from treated water, how many trucks would be needed to bring water to the plant daily and what would happen if there were a chemical spill at the site or if the site were flooded.

The crowd grew most impassioned when Hankey said the board was asked to look into the possibility of building the treatment facility.

When asked by whom, Hankey stated “I’m not sure,” prompting cries of “ah, come on, you know,” “pathetic,” and the names of natural gas drilling companies.

Township residents also questioned why the sanitary authority wants to build the facility in Hanover rather than in the northern tier, where gas drilling is much more prevalent.

“Can’t you build a plant closer to where this activity is actually going on?” asked Frank Marra of Hanover Township. “We don’t get the benefit of the leased property up there, and we want to get the tail end of it?”

Hankey said profits raised by the facility could reduce frequency and severity of sewer fees Wyoming Valley property owners pay.

After the meeting, board members referred questions to John Minora, spokesman for Pennsylvania Northeast Aqua Resources, the authority’s consultant.

Minora said much of the water produced from Pennsylvania shale gas wells is currently being trucked to Ohio and West Virginia for treatment and disposal.

“We’re closer,” Minora said. “We’re reducing truck traffic, we’re reducing wear and tear on the roads and we’re reducing pollution.”

Minora added that existing infrastructure at the sanitary authority, including unused tanks that could be used to store treated water and excess heat currently being wasted by the authority, make the site an attractive one.

Minora said the authority is considering three methods of bringing water to the proposed facility: tanker trucks, rail transport, and piping in water from staging areas away from residential areas.

“We want to do it in a way that impacts on the community as minimally as possible,” he said.

Hankey said the authority would consider all scientific information the public submitted.

Members of the audience submitted a draft plan of the recently begun federal Environmental Protection Agency study of hydraulic fracturing’s effect on water supplies recently, a scientific article about the health risks posed by chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing and the Pennsylvania State Police’s FracNET enforcement effort, which targets trucks hauling water for gas drillers.

Tom Jiunta of the Gas Drilling Awareness Coalition also submitted a list of more than 40 questions about the project he hopes the authority will answer.

“I think their lack of transparency had the crowd quite perturbed,” Jiunta said of the board after the meeting.

“I think they need to be more forthcoming. … They need to go above and beyond to show that their decisions are science-based, not profit-based. People in Luzerne County demand accountability.”

Copyright: Times Leader

Five areas report fails to provide proper context, information on Pa.’s regulatory oversight

Canonsburg, PA – Yesterday’s New York Times included a story highly critical of the regulatory framework governing waste water treatment and disposal from natural gas exploration in Pennsylvania. While raising some valid questions about water monitoring, this article – seven months in the making – lacks context, offers misleading comparisons and in some cases put forth information that is not supported by the facts.

Following we offer up that context and provide interested parties additional background – all available in the public domain – that paints an entirely different picture than what was laid out by the Times yesterday morning. We hope you find this additional information helpful and informative.

Additional background and context on claims outlined in New York Times story:

NY Times Myth: “[Pennsylvania] is the only state that has allowed drillers to discharge much of their waste through sewage treatment plants into rivers.”

• Pennsylvania leads the nation in waste water recycling; vast majority of produced water reused in drilling operations: “State environmental regulators say that nearly 70 percent of the wastewater produced by Marcellus Shale wells is being reused or recycled. The Marcellus Shale Coalition, an industry group, puts the number higher, saying that on average 90 percent of the water that returns to the surface is recycled.” (Scranton Times-Tribune, 2/27/11)

• Industry moving towards 100 percent recycling, zero discharge: “It makes sense to reuse this water,” said Ron Schlicher, an engineer consulting for the treatment company. “The goal here is to strive for 100-percent reuse, so we don’t have to discharge.” (Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, 10/28/10)

• Marcellus operators recycling majority of waste water: “…all of the state’s biggest drillers say they are now recycling a majority of the wastewater produced by their wells in new fracturing jobs, rather than sending it to treatment plants. Hanger said about 70 percent of the wastewater is now being recycled …” (Associated Press, 1/4/11)

• Recycling of waste water to be norm for Marcellus Shale gas wells (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 10/20/09)

NY Times Myth: “Gas producers are generally left to police themselves when it comes to spills. In Pennsylvania, regulators do not perform unannounced inspections to check for signs of spills. Gas producers report their own spills, write their own spill response plans and lead their own cleanup efforts.”

• Flashback — DEP Inspector visits drilling site, unannounced, finds leaky valve on storage tank: “A DEP inspector discovered the spill while inspecting the well pad. The inspector found that the bottom valve on a 21,000-gallon fracking fluid tank was open and discharging fluid off the well pad. No one else was present at the pad, which has one producing Marcellus well.” (DEP press release, 11/22/10)

• In 2010 alone, DEP oversight staff performed nearly 5,000 inspections at Marcellus Shale drilling locations, a more than 100 percent increase over the previous year. (DEP Year End Workload Report, accessed 2/27/11)

• Pennsylvania recognized for having “well managed” hydraulic fracturing regulatory program: “A targeted review of the Pennsylvania program regulating the hydraulic fracturing of oil and gas wells has been completed by a multi-stakeholder group, which has concluded that the program is, over all, well-managed, professional and meeting its program objectives.” (STRONGER press release, 9/24/10)

• Pennsylvania hired more than 110 new inspectors, oversight personnel in last two years: “DEP was hit with layoffs after the overdue state budget was enacted in October, but the agency’s oil and gas division is considered exempt from layoffs or hiring freezes, added Mr. Hanger. All told, 193 agency employees work full time on oil and gas regulatory issues.” (Scranton Times-Tribune,1/29/11)

• Former PA Sec. of Environmental Protection details strong regulatory oversight and enforcement: “[The DEP] hired in 2009 and twice in 2010. We opened a new drilling staff office in Williamsport in 2009 and another in Scranton during 2010. Pennsylvania is the only state that has hired substantial or any staff for its drilling operation. The NYT does not say that, because it does not fit its narrative of lax Pennsylvania regulation. Indeed, the reporter deliberately did not include a long list of actions by DEP that represented strong enforcement.” (John Hanger blog, 2/27/11)

NY Times Myth: “But the relatively new drilling method — known as high-volume horizontal hydraulic fracturing, or hydrofracking — carries significant environmental risks. It involves injecting huge amounts of water, mixed with sand and chemicals, at high pressures to break up rock formations and release the gas.

• Does The Times Read The Times? According to an NY Times fact-check, from last week: “The method of drilling is not called ‘hydraulic fracturing.’ Fracturing, or ‘fracking’ is a process that is one part of drilling a well and producing oil or gas. Fracturing has been used by drillers for around 60 years.” (New York Times, 2/24/11)

NY Times fails to provide proper context: “Drilling companies were issued roughly 3,300 Marcellus gas-well permits in Pennsylvania last year, up from just 117 in 2007.”

• Like most information, without context, readers can and will be lead to think something that is not entirely accurate. While the reporter is correct in stating 3,300 Marcellus permits were issued, he fails to state that less than half that number of wells were actually drilled. According to state data, between January 1 and December 31, 2010, 1,446 Marcellus wells were drilled. (DEP Year End Workload Report, accessed 2/27/11)

NY Times fails to provide proper context, again: “The risks are particularly severe in Pennsylvania, which has seen a sharp increase in drilling, with roughly 71,000 active gas wells, up from about 36,000 in 2000.”

• Of those 71,000 active natural gas wells in Pennsylvania wells, only 2,498 are horizontal Marcellus wells – or 3.5 percent of all wells in Pennsylvania.  (DEP Year End Workload Report, accessed 2/27/11)

Bonus Fact Check

NY Times quotes former Pa. DEP secretary…

… But the reporter never actually interviewed top environmental regulator for story about environmental regulations in Pennsylvania: “[T]hough I am quoted in the piece, this reporter never interviewed me prior to the publication of the Sunday article… As Secretary, I was interviewed hundreds and probably thousands of times.  I made myself totally accessible to reporters.  My staff knew that I was available to reporters. This reporter today says he asked Governor Corbett’s administration at DEP on January 21st, three days after Governor Rendell and I left office, to confirm the quotation that the reporter strung together (sic) from some other source.” (John Hanger blog, 2/27/11)

Associated Press hit piece targeting Marcellus producers in PA takes months to assemble – and only hours for DEP, MSC, others to expose as “misleading”

AP Lets Sensational Story on PA Wastewater Fly on a Monday …

… One Day Later, Readers Learn the Actual Truth

Pa. allows dumping of tainted waters from gas boom  David Caruso Associated Press  Jan. 3, 2011  “Pennsylvania has been the only state allowing waterways to serve as the primary disposal place for the huge amounts of wastewater produced by a drilling technique called hydraulic fracturing.”  “This is an outrage,” said Tracy Carluccio, deputy director of the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, an environmental group. “This is indicative of the lack of adequate oversight.”  “A number of gas drillers have begun recycling wastewater in other parts of the country to cut down on the costs of disposal and of obtaining the fluids needed for new fracturing jobs.” (Associated Press, 1/3/11)                                                                                                                                                                 … 2,500 words later  “In some respects, it’s better than what’s already in the river,” he said of the water his plant discharges into the Conemaugh. “What we are putting into the river now is far cleaner, and far more eco-friendly than what was running in naturally from acid mine drainage.” (same story, buried down in 57th paragraph)

DEP chief: AP story on gas drilling wastewater misleading  Tim Stuhldreher  Central Penn. Business Journal  Jan. 4, 2011  “Monday’s Associated Press story on the disposal of wastewater from natural gas drilling misleadingly downplayed important regulatory reforms, Pennsylvania Environmental Protection Secretary John Hanger said.” (1/4/11)        Pa. is monitoring Marcellus shale wastewater  John Hanger – DEP Secretary  Allentown Morning Call (letter to the editor)  Jan. 5, 2011  “It’s appalling that David Caruso’s Associated Press Jan. 4 article would be posted and published based on the sensational premise that Pennsylvania isn’t protecting drinking water sources from drilling wastewater.”  “Here’s the reality: Every drop of tap water that was publicly treated is required to meet the safe drinking water standard.”  “We’ve doubled the number of oversight staff and now have arguably the nation’s most aggressive oversight program. That’s the real story here, but government doing its job doesn’t grab headlines the way a piece like David Caruso’s does. That’s disappointing.” (Hanger LTE, 1/5/11)    “Waste water (fluids) must be reused and recycled, or collected and treated at an authorized waste water treatment facility. DEP approval is required before the receiving treatment facility can accept the wastewater for processing and/or disposal.” (PA DEP Marcellus fact sheet, released 11/08)  Most water from drilling is recycled  MSC president Kathryn Klaber  Washington Observer-Reporter (letter to the editor)  Jan. 7, 2011  “Pennsylvania’s natural gas producers, on average, recycle more than 90 percent of the water that returns to the surface. The rest is delivered to underground injection sites … whose location, construction, maintenance and inspection are regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act.  “[T]he industry is committed to being a zero-discharge operation in the state’s surface waters and continues to lead the nation in recycling technologies and practices.” (Klaber LTE, 1/7/11)         The rest of the story  MSC president Kathryn Klaber  Centre Daily Times (letter to the editor)  Jan. 7, 2011  “Thanks to advances in technology, producers are able to access more clean-burning natural gas by drilling fewer wells, lessening impacts to the land and reducing the volume of water needed to do the job.” (Klaber LTE, 1/7/11)   ___________________________________________ AP myth: Producers recycling water in “other parts of the country” – but not in PA?!      Fact: PA producers recycle more water from shale development than all other states combined        Recycling of waste water to be norm for Marcellus Shale gas wells     Rick Stouffer  Pittsburgh Tribune-Review  Oct. 20, 2009  “Major companies drilling for natural gas in Western Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale rock formation are or soon will be recycling all the waste water recovered from their operations, executives said Monday.”   Drilling plan includes recycling Staff Reports Wilkes-Barre Times Leader Oct. 28, 2010       “It makes sense to reuse this water,” said Ron Schlicher, an engineer consulting for the treatment company. “The goal here is to strive for 100-percent reuse, so we don’t have to discharge.” (10/28/10)  AP Forced to Re-Examine Its Claims on Recycling in Follow-Up   “…all of the state’s biggest drillers say they are now recycling a majority of the wastewater produced by their wells in new fracturing jobs, rather than sending it to treatment plants. Hanger said about 70 percent of the wastewater is now being recycled …” (Associated Press, 1/4/11)  Never let the facts get in the way of the story:  “The AP did not contact DEP for the story, [Hanger] said.” (Central Penn. Business Journal, 1/4/11)

This updated publication addresses the rapidly changing topic of water withdrawals for Marcellus shale gas drilling in Pennsylvania.

Penn State Cooperative Extension has released an updated version of a publication that addresses the rapidly changing topic of water withdrawals for Marcellus Shale gas drilling.

Originally published in September 2009, “Water Withdrawals for Development of Marcellus Shale Gas in Pennsylvania” reflects the latest Marcellus-related regulatory changes enacted by the Susquehanna River Basin Commission, the Delaware River Basin Commission and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

Water is a critical component in the process of extracting natural gas from the Marcellus Shale formation. Public policies for managing and protecting water resources are common concerns of Pennsylvania residents, according to a water-policy expert in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences.

“Development of the Marcellus Shale could have major economic and environmental effects for Pennsylvanians and residents of neighboring states,” said Charles Abdalla, professor of agricultural and environmental economics. “Individuals, businesses and communities will be affected well into the future as this energy resource is fully developed.

“Citizens need to become aware of their stake in water-resource issues and policies and effectively participate in public policy-making,” he said. “Public policies for water management and protection will be improved if the affected parties — which include almost everyone — are well-informed about likely impacts and take advantage of opportunities to participate in decisions.”

Seeking to engage residents, landowners, federal and state agency personnel, environmental organizations, economic development groups and others, the publication discusses the fast-evolving issues and public policies related to water resources and Marcellus Shale gas exploration.

While adequate supplies of water are one of several essential inputs needed to extract gas from the shale, wastewater is an output from the process that must be treated or disposed of properly.

“Through this publication, we hope to increase the public’s understanding of water use and management related to Marcellus Shale gas development and help people understand how and where they can offer input into public decisions about water use and wastewater treatment,” said Abdalla, the publication’s lead author.

“Now is the time for people to learn about and help shape public policies that will guide development of the Marcellus Shale,” he said. “These policies will play a large part in determining the economic well-being and quality of life for residents of the commonwealth for a long time — perhaps generations — to come.”

Funding for the updated publication comes from the Pennsylvania Water Center at Penn State. To obtain a free copy, contact the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences Publication Distribution Center, The Pennsylvania State University, 112 Agricultural Administration Building, University Park, PA 16802-2602; telephone: 814-865-6713; fax: 814-863-5560; e-mail: AgPubsDist@psu.edu.

This publication also is available online athttp://extension.psu.edu/water/resources/publications/consumption-and-usage/marcelluswater.pdf/view.

The publication is the latest in a series initiated by Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences and Penn State Cooperative Extension to address issues related to Marcellus Shale gas exploration and development. Other publications in the series, along with related webinars, presentations and events, can be viewed at http://extension.psu.edu/naturalgas.

from Chuck Gill, Penn State Ag Sciences News

Originally Published at: PSU.edu