Gas-well drilling in Marcellus shale comes under scrutiny
MOUNT MORRIS – Not only did people turn out in droves to hear updates on the Dunkard Creek fish kill Thursday, many people raised questions about the treatment of wastewater associated with Marcellus shale gas-well drilling. The Greene County Conservation District and the Upper Monongahela River Association sponsored the public meeting at Mount Morris Gospel Tabernacle Church.
Total dissolved solids (TDS) has been deemed a major contributing factor to the fish kill and has been associated with wastewater from the process of drilling for natural gas.
TDS is a measure of all elements dissolved in water and can include carbonates, chlorides, sulfates, nitrates, sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium.
Wells sites are springing up throughout southwestern Pennsylvania, with companies tapping into the rich source of natural gas.
The Marcellus shale formation lies 4,000 to 8,500 feet beneath southern New York, western Pennsylvania, the eastern half of Ohio and throughout West Virginia.
Of the many questions raised by the audience Thursday, one stood out over the rest: “Where is the water being stored?”
While some companies treat wastewater before discharging it into rivers and streams, according to Ronald Schwartz, assistant regional director for the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), most of the gas- well industry is moving toward recycling the wastewater, thus reducing the volume requiring disposal.
Up until this point, some facilities in Indiana County have received permits to treat the wastewater and many gas-drilling companies in southwestern Pennsylvania would send its wastewater there.
In addition, documentation shows that the wastewater is being sent to deep-well injection sites in Ohio, as well as some sewage-treatment plants.