EPA “May” Start Testing Dimock, PA Water in 2 Weeks

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yes no maybeEarlier this week, MDN reported that the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), an agency prone to overstep its legal authority, is once again nosing around Dimock, PA (see this MDN story). After writing to tell Carter Road residents in the Dimock area that their drinking water was just fine on Dec. 2 of last year, they reversed course last week and expressed concerns over “gaps” in water testing data. Now it seems that the EPA themselves will conduct their own tests of water in Dimock.

"We believe that additional information is needed to better understand the situation in Dimock and respond appropriately," an EPA spokeswoman told Reuters on Thursday, after receiving hundreds of pages of data from Dimock residents.

"EPA is considering next steps including conducting some samples of well water in the area," the spokeswoman said.

The tests may become pivotal in a national debate about the environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking…

Dimock, among the most heavily drilled areas in the Marcellus Shale, has become a flashpoint for the growing tension between energy companies and locals in shale regions…

Federal officials told affected residents, some of whom have been without fresh drinking water since drilling began there three years ago, that they may begin testing their water within two weeks.*

*Reuters (Jan 5, 2012) – EPA may retest PA. water near fracking

One Comment

  1. Dimock was chosen as one of the areas for the federal EPA study regarding the effects of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water.  However, when the federal EPA came to town, the lawyers would not allow testing of any of the litigants wells.  The regional EPA office was called in, but thus far has only been allowed to review “paper” results, not actually been allowed to take actual water samples, again because of the lawyers’ naysaying.  I think you were showing proper caution with the word “may” in your title because the question remains as to whether the lawyers will yet again grandstand or whether the wells will be allowed to be tested.

    Also, regarding the “gaps” – are these gaps the litigants themselves created when they would not allow testing to be done?  Many of the litigants would not allow DEP personnel on their properties for doing the testing.  If results are now being presented, from where did those results come?

    Other residents of the Consent Order area having accepted the water treatment measures and are having no problems with their water.  I guess this brings to the forefront another question; what would those litigants water results show if they had accepted the water treatment systems.  If Cabot is constantly held to the fire to make things right and the litigants are always crying “Fix our Water”, why then aren’t the litigants themselves made to accept the water mitigation procedures before continuing their ludicrous legal actions against Dimock Town officials and everyone else they and their supporters would like to portray as part of some great conspiracy?