Comment

Comment by Carol on May 5, 2010 at 3:36pm

CJK - I don't see any mention of gas drilling in this article. I'm sure water contamination is becoming worse everywhere but not necessarily because of gas wells. In Southwestern PA, many of our streams and creeks, unfortunately, are already polluted from coal mines, steel mills, and raw sewage that has run into the waterways for years. I'm not saying pollution is ok, but it's not always related to gas drilling. In fact, I saw the gas company taking water out of one of these already polluted streams to use in their drilling operation - maybe that could contribute to the problem - they are using already contaminated water for the fracking.

Comment by CJK on May 5, 2010 at 12:57pm

BURLINGTON - Some residents in Burlington Borough are dealing with a water mystery.

The matter came to the surface at the borough council meeting Tuesday.

According to council member Jerri Renzo, at least five residents on the Berwick Turnpike have been dealing with the problem for a year.

"We're finding like a grit in the bottom of our tub, which we never had before," she said. "We've always had iron, but we learned to live with that. But we've had problems with our water softener, so we had someone come and check it, and they said it was the water ... it wasn't that we needed a new one or anything like that."

She said her water was tested, and it showed high levels of magnesium and strontium. Now, she said they're buying bottled water to drink, noting it's an inconvenience and can be costly.

She said they just don't know what's causing it. "We don't know," she said. "We want to find out."

According to Renzo, the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) advised the residents not to drink it or brush their teeth or cook with it, so they're not ingesting it.

"We've never had good water in this town, no one has, but over the past year, it's gotten worse," she said.

Judy Parmenter said a test showed high levels of manganese, iron, sodium, and chloride in her water.

During the meeting, she showed a cup with a dark-colored residue in it from her water.

She thought about 10 people were affected in the borough.

But the residents may have an answer soon.

According to Parmenter, someone from state Sen. Gene Yaw's office informed her that John Hanger, DEP secretary, is reviewing the situation and maybe already delegating it to the proper people.

"We should be hearing from them in a week, we hope," she said.

"It's gets to be very smelly," she said of the water. "The smell is terrible, it goes through the whole house. It sometimes makes you nauseated. When you take a shower, sometimes it burns, sometimes it itches."

"Some people got a rash, not all of us."

Parmenter said the whole experience has been inconvenient with having to get bottled water to use.

"I'm hoping they're (DEP) going to tell me that they're going to send in officials to help us find the cause, to help us find a way to clear it up and stop it from going to other residents."
http://thedailyreview.com/news/water-woes-aired-in-burlington-1.762313

I would like to know how the DEP could advise the residents not to drink it or brush their teeth or cook with it, so they're not ingesting it and not advise them to not bathe in it? The skin is the largest organ of your body and you stand to absorb a higher amount of toxins through this organ because of the larger amount of surface area. What are they going to do about the cows drinking this water? What about the milk that will have these toxins in it?

Am I still being overeactive to the situation or is this contamination becoming more common?

Comment by William Ladd on May 5, 2010 at 7:24am

The drillers are going to drill no matter of individual fears or opinions. But these drillers must be wary of what they are doing saftey wise. If pollution has been caused by a driller then he must be prepared to stand the cost to fix it, whatever "it" might be if something goes wrong. Landowners are taking big risks too. Farmers who have had their property passed down for generations have a lot to lose too. Many of them have lived their entire lives on the same few acres of land. To have their property destroyed in a few months by uncareing drillers or moneymen cannot be tolerated and should not be tolerated!

Bill L
AKA Bummy

Comment by daniel cohen on May 5, 2010 at 6:03am

Dear Shalers,
We seem to be going over older issues reviewed in the following sites:

http://www.gomarcellusshale.com/profiles/blogs/health-issuesairwater

http://www.gomarcellusshale.com/profiles/blogs/aquifer-contaminatio...

http://www.gomarcellusshale.com/profiles/blogs/aquifer-contaminatio...

We need now to try to put together a more powerful voice- not just our individual ones, but larger landowner group voices and perhaps a broader regional voice from out of that. Any thoughts along these lines, or is this too ambitious an undertaking?

Dan

Comment by hunter777 on May 5, 2010 at 5:26am

"This was back in the 1940's. Smoking was the thing to do.......And today we finally understand just how dangerous it was.

So what about our water supply? Much testing needs to be done to avoid more health problems. We do need the energy from the fracting. Research needs to be done. Risks will be taken in order to save money.

Are we going to plunge forward recklessly or are we going to try to balance the risks against the advantages?"

Why do we keep talking about fraccing as some new danger that needs to be researched before trying?

Fraccing, like smoking, has also been around for decades.

Comment by hunter777 on May 5, 2010 at 1:31am

Sorry for the confusion, but the informational posts get lost in the mudslinging and opinion. Check my past posts for the history.

These water tests are a result of post drilling testing. As I mentioned before, we are in the Dimock area and within 1000' of a well. The first test was done shortly after completion and the latest was done a little over a year later as a comparison. As you can see, not all gas exploration results in water quality degradation. This is my purpose for posting this. Among all the conjecture and hypotheticals, here is some factual information to guide the forum members in forming an opinion!

Comment by William Ladd on May 5, 2010 at 1:23am

I keep reading about contaminating the aquafers and all the chemicals added to the drilling processes and how it is not safe and the accidental pollution that is taking place.

But we are doing this polluting our environment everyday and causing health problems for us all. And yet many of us care little what we are putting our families and friends thru.

I already mentioned the weed killers and bug spray being used in a previous posting. But how about cigarette smoking? Well how about it?

How many of us die each day from smoking? Emphesema, lung cancer, aneurisms?

When I was a kid My mother smoked. My father did not smoke. I recall vividly riding in the back seat of the family car. I was about 7 or 8 years old. My mother lighted up a cigatette. The smoke was making me sick. I asked her to please not smoke.

She replied, "I dont see why I can't have a little bit of pleasure without someone complaining!"

She did not care that I was in misery! She was polluting the air that I had to breathe and I tried to point that out to her. Whenever she had a friend visit her, I recall her always saying, Wont you have a cigarette?

This was back in the 1940's. Smoking was the thing to do.......And today we finally understand just how dangerous it was.

So what about our water supply? Much testing needs to be done to avoid more health problems. We do need the energy from the fracting. Research needs to be done. Risks will be taken in order to save money.

Are we going to plunge forward recklessly or are we going to try to balance the risks against the advantages?

Bill L
aka Bummy

Comment by CJK on May 4, 2010 at 1:00pm

hunter777- what is this water test about? Is it pre or post drilling? what stage? What is the chronology of events? Obviously there is some comparison of events over approximately a year's worth of time? Were the VOC's tested? any other metals? Sorry but it does not mean much to me because I do not know what you have promised.

Comment by CJK on May 4, 2010 at 12:53pm

rfs- I totally agree with you about your last post and being a victim. But my experience has shown me that not everyone is as strong as you and I. There are people that can be easily victimized, and while it is not mine nor your responsibility to make sure everyone is not victimized, it is in my best interest and my community as a whole to ensure that others are not victimized in this Gas Play. Their "victimization" can become not only their nightmare but mine as well. I am willing to support them to help them out and for my ow good in the end, after all isn't that what "community" is about?

Comment by Robin Fehrenbach Scala on May 4, 2010 at 12:01pm

You can only be victimized if you allow yourself to be. Whether it is a bank who won't cooperate even when there is standard procedure, or it is taking responsibility for your decisions on leases, or keeping track of what happens on your land if and when a gas company works there, etc. It's all up to you in the end.

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