Comment

Comment by John Reed on March 31, 2010 at 12:57am

I agree, I just did a quick search and found that the US has 450,209 operating gas wells.

http://www.propublica.org/special/map-number-of-producing-gas-wells....

That is a huge number. With the recent boom in tight shale gas exploration, (Haynesville,Marcellus,Barnett etc.) I am sure a large percentage of these wells utilized the hydrofracking process. I'd love to know the number of methane explosions, water well contaminations, other fresh water contaminations that are directly related to these gas wells. From a percentage standpoint I'd bet my house we would find the percentage is miniscule.

Comment by Country Bumkin on March 31, 2010 at 12:31am

John,

Here's what they do. They take the potential damage that can occur and make it fact for every case. Maybe the wreckless punching of holes in the ground for water wells should be banned too? Places where there is NO drilling there are still wells that have natural gas in them. It's pointless to argue with people who have one agenda--to deamonize the O&G companies. This whole subject is pointless to discuss any more. If you believe everything that PBS puts out, you can believe the link below.

http://www.hyper.net/ufo/video-documentaries.html

Comment by CJK on March 31, 2010 at 12:29am

John What do you consider and "incident"? What you consider one may not be what I consider to be one. I am learning that the gas industry does a good job of covering up alot of incidents related to fracking. Dimock, PA is a major cover up in my opinion.

Comment by John Reed on March 31, 2010 at 12:18am

Both sides equally portraying their side ? Wow ! That's like saying Rush Limbaugh is partial to democrats. Where are the statistics on how many natural gas wells have been constructed and frac'd without incident, wIth absolutely no harm to anyone ? They number in the tens of thousands. The creator chooses to focus on a few isolated incidents that may be credible, I will give him that much. But to make blanket statements degrading the industry as a whole with no more than a few examples is quite disturbing. He obviously has a hidden agenda, probably money. He kind of reminds me of that guy that does the infomercials Kevin Trudeau.

Comment by CJK on March 30, 2010 at 2:40pm

I have not seen the interview yet. But in all fairness both sides are equally portraying their side. The gas industry has certainly spent a lot of time and money on attempting to convince the public that what they are doing is safe and that one should not worry. So what is so wrong about another perspective being given for people to hear? I do not think that the potential threat to my quality of life is something that is particularly humorous.

Comment by Country Bumkin on March 30, 2010 at 11:59am

LOL!!! That was the most one sided interview that I've ever seen on any subject in my life!! LOL!!!

Thanks for the link--very entertaining.... :)

Comment by John Reed on March 29, 2010 at 5:02pm

Agreed. The company I listed will comply with chain of custody. Excellent company, reasonable rates. Check the website if you get time.

Comment by CJK on March 29, 2010 at 7:06am

It is also important to test and/or measure for the volume of water. The drilling process can have a major impact on your supply and quality. The other expense in testing the water comes with the fact that the testing has to be done by someone who will supply you with a "Chain of Custody" if not done it is worthless in a court of law. This requires the testor to follow strict guidelines with respect to collecting and handling of the water that is being tested.

Comment by John Reed on March 21, 2010 at 12:45am

Sulfur is common in NEPA specifically. In my community virtually everyone has sulfur. You are correct, it is most common in aquifers residing in shale. We have hundreds of deep wells in my area and hundreds that encounter sulfer odor.

The water testing lab. that did the presentation I attended stated methane gas presence can be associated with a rotten egg smell. Technically, methane has no odor, but it's presence can be found in shales and thus can be associated with a rotten egg smell. Typically, the rotten egg smell the vast majority of land owners encounter in NEPA is sulpher however and more than likely is not methane.

Penn State Co-operative Extension Services provides good guidance. The Independent water company I speak of is Seewald Laboratories Inc. They have worked with PSCES and they are recommedning three testing packagaes broken down by Tiers. Tier 1 is the least expensive and covers the following:

Chloride,PH,Total dissolved solids,barium. The total cost for this test is $55.00

Tier 2.
Arsenic,Chloride,Hardness,PH,Total Dissolved Solids,Suspended Solids,Barium,Iron,Manganese,Bacterias. Total cost $135.00

Tier 3. Arsenic,Chloride,Hardness,oil & grease,PH,Total dissolved solids,VOC (volatile organic compounds),MBAS (surfactants),suspended solids,Barium,Calcium,Iron,Lead,Manganese,Strontium,Sodium,Bacteria,Methan/Ethane. Total cost $270.00

You can also mix and match as you like. If you like Tier 1 but want to add methane and barium you can.

As you can see even the Tier 3 test is not that expensive at $270.00.

Remember this is guidance from the testing lab and the Penn State Cooperative Extension Services. They recommend these tests as baselines. I am sure if you would rather follow a more radical route you could very well spend $500.00 to $1500.00 for a more elaborate testing criteria. I am also sure the lab would give you the guidance that it is not necessary. They seem to be very reputable. If you insist I am sure they can accomodate. Maybe you should give them a call. From what I gather $500.00 is spending way too much and the water testing companies you are working with may be feeding off of the fear factor from all of the negative press out there.

Comment by Brian Oram, PG on March 20, 2010 at 5:26pm

A few points - sulfur is not a common problem in PA - but it is more common in areas near wetlands or in formations that consist of shales. Methane gas has no odor. Sulfur can be caused by a chemical reaction or a biochemical reaction. If the reaction is chemical - a treatment system like carbon filtration or aeration is ok, if it is biochemical you would need to disinfect and oxide the water. Methane gas is also common in some regions of PA in shallow wells, i.e. < 500 feet.

Baseline testing by a certified laboratory would most likely cost more than $ 100.00 - I believe the best price I have found for the parameters listed by the PADEP was about $ 500.00.

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• …
• 29
• 30
• 31
• 32
• 33
• …
• 46
• Next ›
• Page