Why drilling next to a drinking water supply may not be wise.

[PA Democrat]

A chemical leak at the site of a Marcellus shale well at Beaver Run Reservoir did not make its way into Westmoreland County's drinking water supply, officials said.

Liquid cement - which includes bentonite, a chemical found in clay that also is used in cat litter - leaked into a creek that empties into reservoir at the Kuhns 3B well pad in Bell Township on July 21 at 10:30 p.m.

The driller, Consol Energy's CNX Gas, was cited by the state Department of Environmental Protection for "discharge of pollutional material to waters of the Commonwealth."

Workers were pouring a bentonite and concrete mix to encase a well opening when they realized they had bored through an underground stream that would carry the mixture to the reservoir, said John Poister, spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Protection. The next morning, drillers found the mixture in the stream and began to clean it up, he said.

http://triblive.com/neighborhoods/2372812-74/poister-reservoir-bentonite-department-july-run-stream-barrels-beaver-chemical

The Beaver Run Reservoir supplies water to 150,000 local homes. Those people were "lucky" ..... this time.

[kooljerk666]

1. I live in Chester County PA no drilling here but..........

I expect tha in a few years all PA drinking water will be contaminated.

If the midwest turns into a desert, PA & NY will be an important agricultural area, destroying all aquifiers in both states does not look like a good idea.

We will need food and water more than cars, soon very soon.

[liberal N proud]

2. The oil companies will win

Until the water becomes more profitable than oil, they will drill wherever they want.

[blue neen]

3. Here's a fantastic quote:

"What the public needs to know is that we're not worried about the water quality now," Consol spokeswoman Lynn Seay said, calling the substance harmless."

Harmless.

[lastlib]

5. of course they're not worried about someone else's drinking water....

...as long as their profits aren't affected.

[blue neen]

6. Another picture of just some of the Marcellus Shale Wells at Beaver Run:

http://www.google.com/imgres?start=0&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1056&bih=471&tbm=isch&prmd=imvns&tbnid=AHYjgVoraXYRqM:&imgrefurl=http://www.marcellus-shale.us/Beaver-Run-Reservoir.htm&docid=XwLLPne3tQtXgM&imgurl=&w=500&h=375&ei=eH0qUKvUCci_0QHq0IDICg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=301&vpy=134&dur=2978&hovh=194&hovw=259&tx=163&ty=121&sig=112055245710863511773&page=1&tbnh=129&tbnw=172&ndsp=10&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0,i 9

[eppur_se_muova]

7. I like the attitude of WE'LL DECIDE "what the public needs to know".

Don't worry your pretty little heads about it, Ol' Daddy Oilbucks will take care of everything.

[JPZenger]

4. "No one could have predicted" that drilling next to a water supply might cause a problem

No one could have predicted that the New Orleans Levees could fail (except Popular Mechanics and National Geographics magazines)


What could possibly go wrong???

There was another town in PA. that buried their public works gasoline tank right over the well that provided the water supply for the whole town. No one could have predicted it would have leaked.

[Hydra]

8. And "no one could have predicted" that one of the deepwater drilling rigs would be a disaster either

Except Halliburton of all people. And all of the environmentalists(like me). And all of the regulators who didn't have their heads up the asses of Bushco.

Don't worry, the "Adults" are in charge! Like at Fukushima! There won't be a problem, and if there is, there's a Plan(tm) in place- hide under a rock and make the Gov't deal with it!

This insanity HAS to stop. There's no reason we need to be using toxic technologies...the only reason they're obscenely profitable is that the Gov'ts subsidize them(Oil and Nukes) and are covering their risk factors and not charging what they should for dealing with the waste.

...rereading that last paragraph...is there ANYTHING we do sanely anymore?

[femmocrat]

9. This happened on July 22-23... and we are just hearing about it now?

The Trib article is dated Aug. 8.

I did not see this in the paper or hear about it on the local news and I live in that county.

[blue neen]

10. Interesting, isn't it?

Things that make you go "Huh?"

[Curmudgeoness]

11. Anyone who sees pictures of Beaver Run Reservoir

and the drilling pad has to know that this is a disaster waiting to happen. Of all the places where they have fracked, this was the worst possible situation. I wouldn't be surprised that there have been more problems that have not been reported....and that there will be more. It is inevitable.

Saddens my heart and mind.