PA Geologist, Not Associated With Industry, Explains Where PA Well Contamination Comes From

By -
From Energy in Depth comes an interesting post about Brian Oram, a Licensed Professional Geologist, who gave a presentation about the reality of existing water contamination in Pennsylvania which has nothing to do with gas drilling.  Perhaps the most noteworthy thing about Mr. Oram is that he is not associated with the oil and gas industry.  Here is a video and some of what he had to say:
Who’s Really at Fault
Again, its very easy to blame an industry and “poorly constructed” gas wells but, what about poorly constructed water wells?  Pennsylvania has no standard for water well construction, meaning anyone can go drill a hole to receive water and call it a well.  Some of the water wells in the area are decades old.  These water wells have the potential to fail, just like gas wells.   For example, near Nicole’s property wells have to be vented for methane and sulfur and have been for years prior to any natural gas development. These issues are likely due to placement and poor water well construction.
Many private wells are poorly constructed. Water wells are drilled too deep, I have seen some drilled as deep as 900 feet.  Saline and brine solutions are naturally occurring and found around 300 feet. So when you drill to 900 feet you go through that saline and brine essentially contaminating your well instantly.
Even the placement of wells can influence the pollutants found in the water.  People shouldn’t just care about the natural gas industry.  They need to ask things like, “was there an old gas station nearby,” “is there an old dump close,” or “has the well ever been vented for methane or sulfur.”  When Cabot was seismic testing in Susquehanna County they found methane at only 20 feet!  There are many other elements that can affect water quality besides natural gas development.  Instead of taking a step back and looking at facts, the gas industry is instead scapegoated based on emotion and fear.
I have baseline tested areas with no gas development at all. 49% of the people had water you couldn’t drink because of bacteria. 20% of these had e-coli and arsenic above the drinking water limit. We are also finding elevated levels of barium. Again this is in an area of no natural gas development.
These naturally occurring problems are due to poor water well casing and construction. Another issue is the type of pipe used in the constructions process.  Many people with black coil pipe down their wells are experiencing elevated levels of contamination.  According to Oram, this contamination is due to the black plastic and how it releases plasticizers.  These issues were not known at the time of water well construction.
Addressing the Problems
Oram is very clear in his presentations there is potential for surface spills or migration of methane due to structural issues with natural gas well casings or disturbance from the drilling process.  However, he also acknowledges the strides being made and technological advances to mitigate these risks.




Read the rest of the article here.


Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter!

Popular posts from this blog

Fracktivist in Dimock Releases Carefully Edited Video, Refuses to Release the Rest

By -
Image
From Energy in Depth: There is something very strange going on along Carter Road, in Dimock, Pennsylvania, and I’m not speaking of natural gas, methane migration, contamination, litigation or even the extensive water testing there by the EPA and others.  No, I’m talking about a new “Watergate” conspiracy, complete with 18 minutes of missing tape (well, video, actually). It seems the ever-present Green Party member and  naturist   Vera Scroggins  (a/k/a  Vera Duerga ) has posted a video of Craig Sautner meeting with the EPA.  Mysteriously, the video is but 14 seconds in length, cutting off conversation in what is obviously mid-stream.  It raises a question Craig Sautner, like  Ronald Reagan in Kings Row , might have asked, “Where’s the rest of me?’  Carter Road, isn’t Kings Row, of course, (at least not until you arrive at  the mansion Scott Ely, one of the Dimock litigants, is building with his royalty money ), but there appears to be...
Read more

The Second Largest Oil and Gas Merger - Cabot and Cimarex

By -
Image
       Due to investor pressure, the U.S shale drillers are being pushed to improve financial and operational performance after a few years of poor returns. Even though the industry has improved its numbers, when compared to last year, investors still want more to be done for them to earn more money.      That's why two mid-tier shale drillers, Cabot and Climarex, have decided to merge in order to eliminate $100 million in annual costs, which means more money for the investors. This all-stock transaction is valued at about $7.4 billion, which is relatively high for the oil and gas sector.      The new entity will be renamed and the headquarters located in Houston, Texas. Cabot shareholders will own 49.5 percent of the new entity, and Climarex the rest.       The Cimarex-Cabot merger will address the investor's demand for a higher amount of returning cash. The initial plan is to pay a 50-cent-per-share special dividen...
Read more

Do You Know The History of Fracking?

By -
Image
  In 2018, 59% of total oil production in the U.S came from hydraulic fracking, which means it accounted for more than two-thirds of domestically manufactured gas. By 2024, fracking will reach an astounding $68 billion market value! Of course, fracking is not a new drilling method as you can trace it back hundreds of years. That's why we want to consider the history of hydraulic fracturing (fracking). We will be stating historical facts about it and focusing on the major historical occurrences that have influenced modern-day fracking. Pre-Fracking Days The idea of fracking started back in 1862 when Edward A.L. Roberts (Civil War veteran) witnessed Confederate soldiers exploding artillery rounds into a canal that obstructed a battlefield. At the time, Edward A.L. Roberts called it superincumbent fluid tamping. On April 26th, 1865, Edward A.L. Roberts began experimenting with exploding torpedoes, which consisted of lowering a torpedo containing an amount of powder from fifteen to tw...
Read more