Video: Natural gas blow back in Bradford county

Frac fluid spills from well for 20 hours at Chesapeake site near Canton. Fluid flowed into a creek, a tributary of the Susquehanna. For more details, see

http://www.wnep.com/wnep-brad-leroy-gas-drillingemergency20110420,0,1884646.story

Gas Pains….in Frackland

Here’s a new blog by a reporter from Voices in Center County, PA.

Her first post is the article that just came out in the April issue. This article is full of stories from a variety of places in PA and really brings some tough questions to the forfront of what other papers are only skirting around.

http://frackland.wordpress.com/2010/04/01/marcellus-drilling-transforms-the-state/

Floodplain well permit violation

Muncy Creek floodplain, north of Tivoli, flooded on January 25th.

By February 21st,  XTO had a well in full operation.

Last spring, under pressure from the gas industry to speed up the permitting process, DEP took the permitting for land disturbance and run off away from the county conservation districts.  It is quite doubtful if the county’s conservation district would have permitted this site.

Although DEP took over this function they didn’t have the man power to actually do it. To compensate, any disturbance less than 5 acres can receive a permit, sight unseen, by the developer submitting plans from their own engineers.  Most well pads are less than 5 acres.

When this well is fracked, 18,000 to 20,000 gallons of toxic concentrated chemicals, (hydrochloric acid, biocides, petroleum distillates, methanol, a variety of alcohols, ethylene glycol and much more) will be brought on to this floodplain and mixed. Any spillage will end up in the creek.  Do spills happen? Ask the 17 cows in Louisiana who died horribly last spring after drinking chemicals that spilled into their pasture from an adjacent well.

Below is an excerpt from a joint letter from Trout Unlimited and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation decrying the situation.

Chesapeake Bay Foundation and Trout Unlimited

Call for Ban on Marcellus Gas Wells in Floodplains

Hydrofracking in floodplains is an environmental disaster waiting to happen

(HARRISBURG, PA)  —  In the rush to develop the Marcellus shale formation in Pennsylvania, natural gas wells are being permitted and drilled in floodplains. Two such wells, one operated by Stone Energy along Wyalusing Creek in Rush Township, Susquehanna County, and one operated by XTO along Muncy Creek in Shrewsbury Township, Lycoming County already experienced flooding events.  The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) and Trout Unlimited (TU) call upon the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to remedy this clear environmental and public health hazard.

“The handling of fracking chemicals and highly contaminated drilling wastewater in floodplains is an environmental disaster waiting to happen.  It has to stop,” said Matt Ehrhart, executive director of CBF’s Pennsylvania Office.  “Permitting well pads in floodplains causes a very serious threat of pollution.  We call upon DEP to use its authority under the Clean Streams Law to order the companies operating these wells to permanently cap and abandon them, and then reclaim the sites to their natural condition.” (excerpt RDA)

http://www.cbf.org/Page.aspx?pid=1651

Waterdog Update

Here’s an update on the Waterdog training coming up this month. Don’t forget to call Erika and let her know you are coming to the training. Contact me if you need her number.

Hello Waterdogs,

I wanted to let everyone know that I have finally confirmed the location for the Advanced Waterdog Training!!  It is Saturday, February 27, from 9-12 at the Ives Run Recreation area at the Tioga Hammond Lakes.  It will be held in the Visitor’s Center/Ranger Station.

This training is for current waterdogs only – but I only have some of the emails!!  I will be mailing out other fliers for those that I don’t have emails – so if you could please send this on to someone that you know is already a waterdog I would really appreciate it.  Also I have cards for everyone – I have redone the cards if you have already received one – they are more wallet friendly!!  So please let me know one way or the other if you are coming to the training – if you are not planning to attend the training I will mail your Id card to you.

Thank you,

Erica Tomlinson

Watershed Specialist

Tioga County Conservation District

DEP Fines Atlas $85,000 for Violations at 13 Well Sites

DEP Fines Atlas $85,000 for Violations at 13 Well Sites

PITTSBURGH — The Department of Environmental Protection today announced that it has fined Atlas Resources, LLC $85,000 for violations of the Oil and Gas Act, the Clean Streams Law; and the Solid Waste Management Act at 13 well sites in Fayette, Washington, and Greene counties.

“Development of Pennsylvania’s natural gas resource is important to the state’s economy. However, that development need not — and will not — come at the expense of our environment,” said Southwest Regional Director George Jugovic Jr.  “DEP will ensure that Pennsylvania’s gas resources are developed in an environmentally sound manner, consistent with the law.”

The violations, which occurred between Dec. 8, 2008, and July 31, 2009, fall into three categories:

• Atlas failed to implement and maintain erosion and sedimentation control measures to prevent off-site discharges of silt-laden runoff onto the ground at six well sites;
• Atlas failed to restore two well sites by establishing the appropriate perennial vegetative cover within nine months of completion of drilling; and
• Atlas discharged residual and industrial waste, including diesel fuel and production fluids, onto the ground at seven of the 13 well sites.

For more information, visit www.depweb.state.pa.us or call 412.442.4000.

Editor’s Note:  Following are the names, permit numbers and host municipalities of the wells at which the violations occurred.

• Burchianti 30, Permit No. 37-059-24476-00, Monongahela Township, Greene County
• Burchianti 41, Permit No. 37-059-24616-00, Monongahela Township, Greene County
• Groves 8, Permit No. 37-059-25160, Cumberland Township, Greene County

• Willis 18, Permit No. 37-059-24708, Cumberland Township, Greene County
• Carter 2, Permit No. 37-059-24111-00, Cumberland Township, Greene County
• Penarnik 8, Permit No. 37-059-24555-00, Cumberland Township, Greene County
• Eckerd 1, Permit No. 37-125-23779-00, Deemston Borough, Washington County
• Henderson 7, Permit No. 37-051-24077-00, Jefferson Township, Fayette County
• Redman 30, Permit No. 37-051-24231-00, Washington Township, Fayette County
• Thompson 32, Permit No. 37-051-23746, Nicholson Township, Fayette County
• Thompson 33, Permit No. 37-051-23747, Nicholson Township, Fayette County
• Dancho-Brown 4, Permit No. 37-051-24152, Redstone Township, Fayette County,
• Kovach 34, Permit No. 37-051-24225, German Township, Fayette County.

NCRO Weekely Report Nov 23rd-Dec 4th 2009

NORTHCENTRAL REGIONAL OFFICE-WILLIAMSPORT

WEEKS OF NOVEMBER 23-DECEMBER 4, 2009

Issues Requiring the Governor’s (or Governor’s staff) ACTION

Nothing new to report

Issues Requiring the Governor’s (or Governor’s staff) ATTENTION

Nothing new to report

Management and Productivity

Nothing new to report

Recovery Activities

Nothing new to report

What’s Hot/Major Actions

IntelliWatt Renewable Energy, Mount Carmel Township, Northumberland County: On Nov. 17, IntelliWatt submitted the complete response to the third deficiency letter sent by the Air Quality program for their plan approval application to construct a 12.5 megawatt wood biomass fired combustion turbine.  DEP staff provided guidance to IntelliWatt regarding the emissions calculations and suggested that IntelliWatt reduce carbon monoxide below 100 tons per year from the proposed project in order to move from a major to a minor facility.  Air Quality program staff is currently finalizing the technical review of the plan approval and hopes to submit a notice of intent to issue for publication within two weeks.  (Muhammad Zaman 570-327-0512)

First Quality Products, Wayne Township, Clinton County: On Nov. 16, the Air Quality Program received a plan approval application from First Quality Products for a new production line for adult incontinence products.  The volatile organic compounds and particulate matter emissions are major concerns for the proposed project.   Particulate matter emissions will be controlled by a three-stage, high-efficiency dust collector. (Muhammad Zaman 570-327-0512)

Susquehanna Health System/Williamsport Hospital, City of Williamsport, Lycoming County: Susquehanna Health submitted an Air Quality plan approval application for construction a 1.9 MW co-generation unit at its Williamsport campus.  The project has received a $1 million PEDA grant funded by ARRA.  The application review is complete and draft plan approval conditions sent to the Pa. Bulletin for public comment.  The notice should be published on Dec. 5.  Unless there are significant negative comments, the plan approval may be issued the week of Jan. 4, 2010.  (David Aldenderfer 570-327-3648)

Northeastern ITS LLC, Mercer, Venango, Clarion, Jefferson, Clearfield, Centre, Union, Snyder, Northumberland, Columbia, Schuylkill, Lehigh and Northampton Counties: On Nov. 30, the Watershed Management program received responses from Northeastern ITS to DEP’s Chapter 102/NPDES technical deficiency letter for this fiber optic line project.  Staff is presently reviewing these responses and completion is anticipated this week.  Eight of twelve Chapter 105/Water Obstruction and Encroachment permit applications were published in the Nov. 28 edition of the Pa. Bulletin.  The 30-day public comment period for these applications has now commenced.  (John Twardowski 570-321-6523)

White Pines Landfill, Pine Township, Columbia County: On Nov. 30, an employee of White Pines Corporation notified the Waste Management program that the Borough of Millville told the White Pines Landfill on Nov. 27 to cease discharging leachate to the borough’s sewage treatment plant.  The landfill was verbally informed by the borough that it was in violation of the Landfill Leachate Treatment Agreement by exceeding concentration levels for copper. White Pines has requested permission to temporarily truck leachate to the Montgomery Borough wastewater treatment facility and to store greater than 25 percent of total leachate capacity on-site, which DEP intends to approve.  The department will inform White Pines Corporation that if it cannot resolve the issues with Millville Borough, it will have to submit to DEP within 60 days a permit modification application with plans to modify its leachate treatment plan.  (Patrick Brennan 570-327-3651)

Sandy Ridge Wind LLC, Taylor and Rush Townships, Centre County, and Snyder Township, Blair County: On Nov. 23, the Watershed Management program held a public meeting and a public hearing on an NPDES stormwater construction permit application submitted by Sandy Ridge Wind LLC. About 50 people attended the two sessions with equal balance between supporters and opponents of the project. There were nine people who testified at the public hearing, with seven opposing the project and two in favor of it.  This permit application was submitted in June, and a second technical deficiency letter was sent to the applicant last week.  (David Garg 570-321-6581)

Potential Problems/Potential Major Actions

Emergency Response, Stevens Township, Bradford County: On Nov. 20, Emergency Response Team Member Dave Engle responded to a report of discoloration in Rockwell Creek in Stevens Township.  Engle determined that Johnson’s Quarry was disposing of saw yard dust in a manure impoundment on property owned by Salanka.  The impoundment was breached and discharging to Rockwell Creek.  Engle documented the release for compliance action and the incident was referred to the Water Management program for follow-up.  (Gerald McKernan 570-327-3722)

Emergency Response, Armenia Township, Bradford County: On Nov. 22, Assistant Emergency Response Manager John Erich responded to a 6,000 gallon spill of frack flow back water to the well pad by Fortuna Energy in Armenia Township.  Erich documented the release for compliance action and addressed control measures to stop the release from entering a wetland.  The incident was referred to the Oil and Gas program for follow-up.

(Gerald McKernan 570-327-3722)

Good News/Major Accomplishments

Nelke #1 Orphan Gas Well Plugging and Abandonment Project, Delmar Township, Tioga County: Well cleanout operations have been in process with the service rig through Nov. 20.  The well bore has been cleaned out to about 4,000 feet deep.  Diagnostic logs were run and evaluated.  A mechanical plug was set at a depth of 4,000 feet and a cement plug placed on top.  The plugs appeared to stop the gas flow to the surface.  Plugging operations are currently shut down to monitor the well and plug seal.  Uphole plugging should resume Dec. 7.  (Bruce Jankura 814/342-8134)

GEC Enterprises Inc./Sandra Cooper, Richmond Township, Tioga County: On Nov. 18, the Waste Management program issued a $15,000 civil penalty to GEC Enterprises Inc. and Sandra Cooper for violations of the Pa. Solid Waste Management Act.  Sandra Cooper is the president of GEC Enterprises Inc. and GEC operates The Sign Shop located in Richmond Township. During a March complaint investigation at The Sign Shop, Waste Management staff observed the burning of solid waste in a burn barrel at the business and there was a container of hazardous waste that was not properly labeled.  James Cooper, president of The Sign Shop, informed DEP that hazardous waste generated at the facility is normally disposed at his brother’s body shop at another location or burned at his residence with his household trash, both of which constitute illegal disposal.  Samples were collected from the ash in the burn barrel and the analytical results indicated that toluene was present in the ash.  During the investigation, Waste Management staff found that toluene is used to clean painting equipment at the facility.  James Cooper eventually disposed of the ash from the burn barrel as a hazardous waste and all issues have been resolved at the site.  (James E. Miller 570-327-3431)

Francis J. Palo Inc., Lamar Township, Clinton County: On Nov. 18, the Waste Management program received a $1,652 civil penalty from Francis J. Palo Inc. for the unpermitted burning of solid waste.  While in the field on Sept. 16, Waste Management staff observed black smoke blowing from the old Valley Ag and Turf property in Lamar Township. During the investigation, DEP staff learned that employees of Francis J. Palo Inc. were burning solid waste in a burn barrel at the site.  Palo later informed DEP that the solid waste being burned was office waste from an office trailer that Palo was maintaining for the PennDOT roadway inspector.  Palo removed the burn barrel and disposed of the ash.  Additionally, Palo will be conducting training for its employees regarding unpermitted burning of solid waste.  (James E. Miller 570-327-3431)

Thomas Benjamin, Benton Township, Columbia County: On Dec. 3, the Waste Management program received the final payment of a $1,382 civil penalty from Thomas Benjamin for violations of the Pa. Solid Waste Management Act.  During an April complaint investigation at Benjamin’s property in Benton Township, DEP staff observed that Benjamin had dumped about 125 cubic yards of construction/demolition waste that consisted primarily of shingles and dry wall and had also burned solid waste.  Also, there were about 100 waste tires dumped on his property in another location.  Benjamin told DEP that the solid waste at the dump was from three separate roofing jobs.  He cleaned up the solid waste and disposed of it properly using a licensed waste hauler.  (James E. Miller 570-327-3431)

Outreach/Upcoming Events

Lycoming County Oil and Gas Committee Meeting, Loyalsock Township, Lycoming County: On Nov. 19, Emergency Response Manager Gerald McKernan attended the Lycoming County Oil and Gas Committee meeting at the Lycoming County Emergency Operations Center in Loyalsock Township.  The meeting focused on industry input on safety training for responders and event categorizing for response levels.  Industry representatives from Anadarko, Chief Oil and Gas, East Resources, KTO, Pa. General Energy, and Range Resources were represented at the meeting.  Several others sent letters of support.  The intent is to develop a training program for emergency service organizations responding to drilling and pipeline incidents.  (Gerald McKernan 570-327-3722)

Act 2

MK Express/Altmire Trucking Act 2 Site, College Township, Centre County: On July 23, an MK Express/Altmire Truck crashed on U.S. Route 322 during a heavy rainstorm and lost about 20 to 50 gallons of diesel fuel to the soil along the shoulder of the road.  Emergency personnel placed absorbent booms near stormwater drains to prevent any further contamination.  Minuteman Spill Response excavated more than 59 tons of contaminated material and five confirmatory soil samples were collected from the excavation.  All soil samples came back below DEP’s Statewide Health Standard, and an Act 2 relief of liability for the Statewide Health Standard for soil was granted on Nov. 25. (Randy Farmerie 570-327-3716)

Steam Valley Sunoco Act 2 Site, Lewis Township, Lycoming County: On Nov. 20, the Environmental Cleanup program approved a Remedial Action Completion Report submitted on behalf of Sunoco Inc. for the former Steam Valley Sunoco facility, which documented the remediation of a 1997 unleaded gasoline release. A Statewide Health Standard was attained for gasoline constituents in soil and groundwater, and an Act 2 relief of liability was granted for the regulated substances identified in the report.  (Steve Webster 570-327-3429)

NPDES Majors Backlog Status

Number of Overdue Permits-0

Number of Permits Issued This Week-0

Number of Permits Newly Expired This Week-0

(Chad Miller 570-327-3639)

Items for the DEP Planning Calendar

EQB Public Hearing—Outdoor Wood-Fired Boiler Regulations

December 3 at 1 p.m.

NCRO

I-99 Partners Meeting

December 10 at 10 a.m.

Patton Township Building

Northern Tier Solid Waste Authority LMIP Meeting

December 10 at 2 p.m.

NCRO

(Daniel Spadoni 570-327-3659)

Cabot Oil Acts on PA Orders

By George Basler of the Star Gazette

DIMOCK, Pa. — Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. plans to comply “as quickly as possible” with an order from Pennsylvania state regulators so it can resume hydrofracturing operations in Susquehanna County, a company spokesman said Monday.

The company has been in contact with the Department of Environmental Protection to hold an administrative conference in the next seven days to discuss the steps that must be undertaken by Cabot, said company spokesman Ken Komoroski.

The DEP issued the order after three separate spills of a gel-like lubricant at the Heitsman site in a week. In a release issued, Sunday, Cabot said the first two spills were caused by failed piping connections between the frac tanks holding a fresh water supply and the equipment used to pump the fluid into the shale formation. The third spill was caused by a pressure surge that caused a hose to rupture.

The spills polluted a wetland and caused a fish kill in Stevens Creek, the department said.

“Three spills at one location is unacceptable to us,” Komoroski said.

To comply with the DEP order, Cabot has started work on engineering and safety reports, Komoroski said. They include preparing an updated Pollution Prevention and Contingency Plan and an updated Control and Disposal Plan within 14 days, and conducting an engineering study of all equipment and work practices at hydrofracturing well sites within 21 days.

Meanwhile, Dan O. Dinges, president and CEO of Cabot, said the company is committed to “the timely resumption of our fracking operations” and is working cooperatively with state regulators, even though it’s “disappointed” with the DEP order and disagrees with several of its allegations.

The DEP order, issued Friday, applies to a Heistman well site in Dimock Township, and seven other wells that Cabot is now drilling in Susquehanna County. Cabot can continue work to drill the wells.

Cabot has not calculated how much the work stoppage will cost the company, Komoroski said.

“Basically, we’re focused on incidence avoidance, not how much it’s costing,” he said.

Pennsylvania Orders Cabot Oil and Gas to Stop Fracturing in Troubled County

http://www.truthout.org/092709W?n

It’s about time they made a  decision to put Cabot’s drilling on hold. I am quite disappointed in the DEP’s efforts to put a pause in drilling routines even after the first spill. If there was ever any question as to why or how the spill(s) happened it would also seem that a responsible reaction to that from the state would be to put further operations on hold. It took three spills, not to mention the polluted wells and sick people of Dimock, PA to get the DEP to finally penalize Cabot Oil & Gas in some fashion.

A Third Spill by Cabot Oil and Gas!

Wow! A third spill is reported in Dimock, Pa, all at the same site by the same company….and all within the span of a week. Talk about not having your act together!

by Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica – September 23, 2009

Pennsylvania environment officials have charged Cabot Oil and Gas with five violations after nearly 8,000 gallons of hydraulic fracturing solution spilled [1] from a pipe system in two separate incidents near the town of Dimock last week. The department reported that a third, smaller spill, occurred at the site Tuesday morning.

According to the state, Cabot failed to prevent a fracturing fluid discharge, failed to keep that discharge from escaping into the environment and from entering a creek, and inappropriately dammed that creek after the spill, among other violations. The company could face fines topping $130,000.

“I was concerned with two releases,” said Bob Yowell, director of the north central regional office of the DEP. “A third release, although it was relatively small, gives us great concern that something unusual is happening at this particular well. This isn’t a normal situation.”

The spills began on Wednesday, Sept. 16 at 2 p.m. when a pipe coupling failed on the system that mixes the fracturing ingredients, sending as much as 2,100 gallons of fluid into the environment. At 8 p.m. that same day another pipe coupling broke in the same system, and 5,880 additional gallons of fracturing fluid were discharged, according to both state and Cabot accounts. On Tuesday morning, Sept. 22, another hose ruptured under pressure, releasing 420 more gallons of the same mixture, though only 10 gallons of that last spill escaped from the company’s spill catch system.

According to Ken Komoroski, a Cabot Oil and Gas spokesman, the fracturing procedure was being conducted by two contractors: Halliburton, one of biggest oil services companies in the world, and Baker Tanks, a petroleum storage tank company.

“Our policy is zero spills, zero unpermitted releases, and those goals were not met so there needs to be evaluations of what can be done to prevent them in the future,” Komoroski told ProPublica. “The spills were less than .5 percent gel, and at 99.5 percent water, this material is not hazardous or dangerous nor does it present any environmental risk.”

Pennsylvania officials allowed Cabot to continue fracturing the well while they conducted their investigation. According to the DEP’s Yowell, halting the fracturing may have presented additional problems, though he could not specify what those risks were. Cabot voluntarily halted the fracturing on Tuesday, after the third spill occurred.

The investigation into the spill is ongoing. According to a DEP press release and the notice letter sent to Cabot, a nearby wetland has been flushed and further remediation may be required, including excavation of soil surrounding the site.

ProPublica reported the spills Monday [1], stating that the fluids had seeped into Stevens creek and killed fish there, an assertion repeated in the DEP’s press release on Tuesday. Follow-up interviews with the state’s Department of Fish and Boat Commission, however, show that a small number of minnows were harmed and that the damage to the creek appeared minimal. However, water samples from the creek are still being evaluated, according to the DEP’s Yowell.

According to a Material Safety Data Sheet provided to the state by Halliburton, the substance spilled was a lubricating gel used in hydraulic fracturing that poses a substantial threat to human health and was described in the Halliburton document as a “potential carcinogen” that has caused skin cancer in animals.

Cabot’s Komoroski points out that the document refers to the gel’s concentrated form, and that the mixture spilled in Dimock was mostly water. He also disputes the information on the Halliburton form that warns the product is a “potential carcinogen.” The disclosure, required by law on the MSDS form, was an effort to be extremely conservative and account for the possibility that a derivative from the refining process could be part of the gel mixture, Komoroski said. He could not say what that derivative was, except that it is a hydrocarbon.

Halliburton did not respond to questions about the details of its MSDS disclosure for the product, called LGC-35 CBM.

Conservation board OKs resolution on fish kill

This is an article from the Observe-reporter.com that relates to the accidentlal fracking fluid spills that took place at Dunkard Creek near Waynesboro, PA earlier this week. I could not get the link to work so I’ve posted the whole thing here and hopefully got rid of the HTML code that was pasted in it.

By Bob Niedbala

WAYNESBURG – Greene County Conservation District approved a resolution Tuesday supporting efforts to identify the cause of the Dunkard Creek fish kill and urging re-establishment of the creek as a warm water fishery.

The board also agreed to ask state and federal agencies responsible for enforcing environmental regulations and investigating the kill to attend a public meeting to discuss the situation.

State and federal agencies involved in the investigation have not been able to determine what caused thousands of fish and other aquatic life to die in the creek during the last three weeks.

The board wants to make sure this doesn’t happen again, said Robbie Matesic, county director of development.

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“They were alarmed by the fact we don’t know about activities taking place in the Dunkard Creek watershed that the federal and state agencies do know about,” she said.

One issue discussed by the board was the permit issued by the federal Environmental Protection Agency in 2005 to CNX Gas to operate an injection well at the former Blacksville No. 1 Morris Run Mine Shaft for brine from the company’s coal bed methane wells.

EPA issued an administrative order last month assessing the company a $157,500 penalty for failing to adequately staff and secure the well site, monitor the well’s cumulative volume and report permit non-compliance.

EPA found that between September 2007 and March 2009 at least 100 truckloads of materials were discharged at the site with levels of total dissolved solids “significantly higher” than levels included in the permit application.

Though the well is not being blamed for the fish kill, local officials were unaware of its existence. “We can find no evidence we received any notice of this permit, the violation or the consent order,” Matesic told the board.

Martin Niverth, also with the county department of development, called the EPA consent order “vanilla,” saying it requires the company to do only what it should have been doing from the beginning.

“We must take ownership of our resources,” Niverth said later. This will involve putting in place methods to be aware of such developments and to comment on them before they become reality.

Matesic said the county estimates the economic value of the 38 miles of lost stream, using Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission restoration guidelines, is more than $30 million.

The resolution approved by the board cites efforts by the county and the conservation district to address water quality issues in the watershed.

They include spending $460,000 for the development of sewage plans and line extensions, participating in a study to explore the treatment of acid mine discharge sources and cleaning up illegal garbage dumps.

County and the conservation district have worked to take care of problems they are aware of in the watershed, Niverth said. “We’ve worked our butts off and spent money only to have this slap us in the face,” he said.

The resolution notes exploitation of Marcellus shale gas has caused a significant demand on local water resources and water treatment capacity “that responsible permitting, monitoring and enforcement agencies were unprepared to accommodate.”

The resolution further states that any extractive industry should bear the responsibility, regardless of costs, for the full protection and restoration of natural resources after extraction is completed.

DEP: Aquatic disaster ‘different from any’ in recent years

A chief environmental enforcement official said Tuesday the massive fish kill in Dunkard Creek is “different from any that we’ve had in recent memory.” Michael Zeto of West Virginia’s Department of Environmental Protection Agency said what makes this fish kill so different is there may be more than one source causing the aquatic disaster. “Typically, there is a chemical or physical characteristic that points to a single source. Then, we deal with who is responsible from there. However, this fish kill may have several possibilities that could be contributing to the cause,” Zeto said. West Virginia DEP is investigating the fish kill jointly with the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and West Virginia University. “We understand the frustration people are feeling, because we feel it, too,” said Scott Mandirola, director of the West Virginia DEP’s Division of Water and Waste Management. “That’s why we have a large number of people working on this and are working with other agencies to try to determine what could be causing it,” he said. Because of heavy mining activity in the area, the industry was an early suspect. In fact, after conferring with West Virginia DEP, Consol Energy, which operates an active mine in Blacksville, W.Va., agreed to shut off its discharge into Dunkard Creek at its Blacksville No. 2 site. However, at the same time Consol was shutting off its pumps, dead fish were found upstream from its outlet, indicating that the outlet at that site is not the sole cause for the dead fish. In addition, inspectors checked mine pools from previous mining activity that are often sources of acid mine drainage. However, the water levels in the area are hundreds of feet below stream elevation at this time because the area has not received much rain in recent weeks. The agencies also have received reports from area residents suspecting tanker trucks of dumping waste water from oil and gas drilling activities into Dunkard Creek. Various agencies continue to investigate those reports. “We have found that those trucks that have been reported are withdrawing water from the stream, rather than dumping waste water,” Zeto said. On Friday, staff members from West Virginia DEP flew over the area in a helicopter to see if there was anything they could see from the air. The staff noted the stream was clouded with a rust color from the Pennsylvania line upstream to a beaver dam in the South Fork of the West Virginia Fork of Dunkard. As a result, additional staff was brought in to take samples along the 25-mile stretch. Investigators also have solicited the assistance of micro-biologists to help determine whether some form of algae or similar growth may be a contributing factor.