Wastewater

Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Warren County | Wastewater

CWA Sues/Accuses Waste Treatment Corp of Continued Shale Pollution
October 29, 2013October 29, 2013

Is a municipal waste treatment facility in Warren County, PA (northwestern part of the state) still accepting and treating Marcellus Shale frack wastewater that is polluting the Allegheny River? That is the very serious charge made in a federal lawsuit filed yesterday by the radical anti-drilling organization Clean Water Action (CWA). Waste Treatment Corporation’s facility near Warren was supposed to have stopped receiving frack wastewater from Marcellus Shale drilling in May 2011, after a deal was made with then-Dept. of Environmental Protection Secretary Michael Krancer (see PA DEP, Marcellus Shale Coalition Admit Drilling Wastewater Likely Contaminating Drinking Water). According to CWA, Waste Treatment continues to accept Marcellus frack wastewater, process it and dump it into the Allegheny, thereby polluting it. The Allegheny is the source of drinking water for Pittsburgh and other municipalities.

The CWA also charges that the PA DEP knows about said dumping and is sitting on its hands, attempting to work out a new deal rather than shut the plant down or otherwise pull their permits to get them to stop…
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Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Ohio | Supply Chain | Trumbull County | Wastewater

3 More Wastewater Injection Wells on the Way in Trumbull County
October 28, 2013October 28, 2013

A small Ohio conventional natural gas drilling/excavating company is getting new life and expanding thanks to the Utica Shale. Kleese Development has applied to the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources (ODNR) to re-purpose several vertical wells to be injection wells. Three older conventional natural gas wells located in Trumbull County, OH–on U.S. Route 422 near Templeton Road–will be converted to shale frack wastewater injection wells if the ODNR approves the project.

If the ODNR does approve the project, frack wastewater won’t be the only thing injected in Trumbull County. The company is also injecting money and jobs into the local economy…

Read More “3 More Wastewater Injection Wells on the Way in Trumbull County”
Cambria County | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Wastewater

Work Resumes on Frack Wastewater Plant in Cambria County, PA
October 28, 2013October 28, 2013

Work is resuming on a new frack wastewater treatment facility in Johnstown (Cambria County), PA, according to the Aspen Fluid Logistics, the company building the plant. The project is expected to cost on the order of $100 million by the time it’s done, and create “hundreds of jobs.” However, the new plant has been plagued by delays due to permits and “financing.”

An update on the new plant and the latest guesstimate as to when it will be operational…
Read More “Work Resumes on Frack Wastewater Plant in Cambria County, PA”
Buckeye Brine | Coshocton County | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Utica Shale | Wastewater

Buckeye Brine Adds Second Injection Well, Business Expands Rapidly
October 24, 2013October 24, 2013

Buckeye Brine is a relatively new Ohio company that has so far built one brine injection well in Coshocton County, OH and is drilling a second injection now and considering adding a frack wastewater recycling facility. Quick tutorial: After an oil or gas well is drilled and fracked, wastewater from fracking flows back out for a week or two. After that, over time (years in some cases) naturally occurring water from deep underground–not fresh water from near the surface, but water from thousands of feet down–continues to flow from some wells. That naturally occurring water contains a lot of dissolved minerals in it, making it much “saltier” than even ocean water–hence the term brine.

Buckeye injects brine back into the ground. A bit more about Buckeye’s operation to date, and what they have planned…
Read More “Buckeye Brine Adds Second Injection Well, Business Expands Rapidly”
Industrywide Issues | Research | Statewide WV | Wastewater | West Virginia

“Consultant” Says 62% of Marcellus Waste Goes Missing in WV
October 23, 2013October 23, 2013

A “consultant” testifying before West Virginia legislators on Tuesday said that WV has no idea where nearly 2/3 of shale drilling wastewater goes for disposal. He also accused the WV Dept. of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) of not doing their job with respect to reporting and tracking shale waste as directed by the 2011 Natural Gas Horizontal Well Control Act.

The consultant doing the accusing–Evan Hansen, president of the consulting firm Downstream Strategies–was there shilling for the anti-drilling group Earthworks. Therefore, the results of the so-called study (to be released next week) performed by his so-called consulting firm are at a minimum suspect…
Read More ““Consultant” Says 62% of Marcellus Waste Goes Missing in WV”
Energy Services | GreenHunter Resources | Industrywide Issues | Ohio County | Wastewater | West Virginia

Wheeling Councilwoman Will Shun GreenHunter Ribbon Cutting
October 23, 2013October 23, 2013

Wheeling, WV City Councilwoman Gloria Delbrugge is a sore loser. Sounding like a petulant child, she says she won’t attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony for GreenHunter Water as they begin to demolish old buildings and build new buildings for a frack wastewater recycling facility in Wheeling. MDN told you in March that Delbrugge vowed to stop the plant from coming to Wheeling (see Wheeling Councilwoman Vows to Prevent Frack Water Treatment Plant). When she calmed down a bit, it seemed as though she had softened her opposition (see Wheeling Councilwoman Softens Stand Against Frack Wastewater Plant).

But, true to form for most anti-drillers, the facts make no difference. Delbrugge says she doesn’t like ’em (GreenHunter), she doesn’t want ’em, and she doesn’t trust ’em. And so when the ribbon is cut in the next few weeks, Gloria will not regale them with her eminent presence…
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Crime | Industrywide Issues | Mahoning County | Ohio | Wastewater

D&L Wants to Sell Remaining Assets at Auction, ODNR Says No
October 23, 2013October 23, 2013

D&L Energy, sibling or parent company (depending on who you ask) to Hardrock Excavating, wants a judge to allow the company to be auctioned off in November. Hardrock/D&L’s owner, Ben Lupo, you may recall, was found guilty of instructing one of his employees to dump thousands of gallons of fracking wastewater down a drain that led to a creek that led to the Mahoning River near Youngstown, OH (see Youngstown Business Dumped >200K Gal of Untreated Wastewater). After investigating, the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources (ODNR) took away D&L and Hardrock’s permits to do business in Ohio (see OH Wastewater Dumper D&L Energy Gets Business Death Sentence).

D&L, not able to operate, is in bankruptcy and wants to sell off its remaining assets to satisfy what it says is over $5 million owed to creditors. However, the ODNR is saying “not so fast” to an auction. The ODNR is concerned D&L could shirk its responsibilities to clean up the mess they’ve made…
Read More “D&L Wants to Sell Remaining Assets at Auction, ODNR Says No”
American Water Management | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Trumbull County | Wastewater

Drilling Begins on Wastewater Injection Well in Trumbull County
October 22, 2013October 22, 2013

The first of what may end up being three new frack wastewater injection wells is now being drilled in Trumbull County, OH. American Water Management Services is right now drilling one of two planned injection wells in Weatherfield, OH. A second company, Kleese Development, has made application to drill a third injection well in the area.

The details:
Read More “Drilling Begins on Wastewater Injection Well in Trumbull County”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Statewide OH | Wastewater

OH Anti-Drillers Ask Gov. Kasich to Shut Down Injection Wells
October 21, 2013October 21, 2013

Anti-drilling organization (and misnamed) Food & Water Watch (F&WW) is behind many attempts to slow down or halt shale drilling in Ohio (and Pennsylvania). Their latest strategy is to shut down deep injection wells which some drillers still use to dispose of leftover fracking wastewater. On Friday, a “handful” (which means less than five) protesters from F&WW hand delivered a letter to OH Gov. John Kasich’s office asking that he issue an executive order immediately shutting down all injection wells in the state (full copy embedded below).

The letter is signed by F&WW and 32 other fringe groups–mostly individuals masquerading as groups to make it seem like scads of people support this nonsense…
Read More “OH Anti-Drillers Ask Gov. Kasich to Shut Down Injection Wells”
Chesapeake Energy | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Statewide OH | Utica Shale | Wastewater

How Much Wastewater Does Chesapeake Recycle in the Utica Shale?
October 17, 2013October 17, 2013

According to a story from top notch reporter Bob Downing at the Akron Beacon Journal, Chesapeake Energy is being a bit cagey about how much fracking wastewater they actually recycle in their Utica Shale drilling operation. Chesapeake is the #1 driller in the OH Utica Shale. How much they actually recycle is important.

In previous statements Chesapeake has said they are recycling 88% of their Utica Shale wastewater. Is that accurate? And where are they recycling all of their wastewater? Inquiring minds want to know…
Read More “How Much Wastewater Does Chesapeake Recycle in the Utica Shale?”
Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | TerrAqua Resource Mgmt | Washington County | Wastewater

TerrAqua Gets Conditional Approval for PA Frack Wastewater Plant
October 16, 2013October 16, 2013

MDN has been watching the progress of a proposed new frack wastewater processing facility proposed by TerrAqua for Smith Township (Washington County), PA. A month ago the town held a somewhat bumpy public hearing about the proposed facility (see TerrAqua a Half Step Closer to New Frack Wastewater Facility).

Last night Smith Township supervisors voted to grant a zoning variance to TerrAqua for the plant–contingent on the plant gaining approval from the state Dept. of Environmental Protection and provided TerrAqua agrees to the same terms MAX Environmental follows in that vicinity–terms that limit the number of trucks coming and going and the hours of operation. TerrAqua says they need to study the variance before commenting…
Read More “TerrAqua Gets Conditional Approval for PA Frack Wastewater Plant”
Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Statewide OH | Trucking | Utica Shale | Wastewater

Open-Air Frack Wastewater Impoundments Coming Soon to Ohio
October 8, 2013October 8, 2013

Coming soon to a neighborhood near you in eastern Ohio: frack wastewater ponds? Maybe. Ohio regulators with the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources (ODNR) say they will soon approve, permit and regulate frack wastewater ponds or “impoundments”–something currently not allowed in Ohio. The impoundments hold millions of gallons of frack wastewater–a kind of temporary holding container so drillers can re-use the liquid for more fracking. The impoundments, typically close to drilling operations, cut down on truck traffic and when built and maintained properly, are completely safe (according to drillers).

However, some people are concerned about open-air impoundments and the possibility that nasty chemicals may escape–either through the air or into the ground. Valid concerns?…
Read More “Open-Air Frack Wastewater Impoundments Coming Soon to Ohio”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Indiana County | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Research | Statewide PA | Wastewater

What’s Missing in Latest Duke “Radioactive” Study? Real Science
October 3, 2013

Those crazy, anti-drilling kids at Duke University are at it again. They released a “study” in a “peer-reviewed” journal yesterday (a study funded in part by the anti-drilling Park Foundation) that took samples from a creek downstream from a wastewater treatment plant that used to (but no longer does) treat Marcellus fracking wastewater. Republican Michael Krancer put an end to frack wastewater treatment by such facilities in early 2011, something the Rendell administration couldn’t or wouldn’t do. Krancer and the Marcellus Shale Coalition said municipal plants processing frack wastewater was creating an issue (see PA DEP, Marcellus Shale Coalition Admit Drilling Wastewater Likely Contaminating Drinking Water). So the Park/Duke kids sampled a single creek before the practice had ended and found, not surprisingly, high (but not dangerous) levels of radioactivity in the stream bed. In other words, they’re reporting what we’ve known for the past three years.

What do the headlines in hundreds of newspapers and online sources (with lazy reporters) blare out today? Fracking causes radioactivity in streams and rivers (plural) in Pennsylvania. Even though the Duke study only looks at a single location in a single creek and the data predates when the practice ended. Real science would have investigated multiple wastewater treatment plants, not just cherry-picking one. Real science is not funded by an avowed anti-drilling organization like the Park Foundation. And real science would have pointed out frack wastewater treatment at these plants ended several years ago. But then, no one ever accused Park/Duke kids of performing real science…
Read More “What’s Missing in Latest Duke “Radioactive” Study? Real Science”
Energy Companies | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Range Resources Corp | Washington County | Wastewater

Mt Pleasant Tells Range Resources “No Deal” on Water Impoundments
September 30, 2013September 30, 2013

An update of the ongoing kerfuffle between Range Resources and their four water impoundments (i.e. ponds) and Mt. Pleasant Township officials in Washington County, PA (for background, see Range Water Impoundment Public Hearing Postponed 2nd Time). Mt. Pleasant recently served Range with zoning violation notices for the four impoundments–they want them all closed. Range recently proposed a compromise that would allow them to keep three of the four impoundments open.

The town board of supervisors met and discussed Range’s proposal during a rare Saturday session–and said “no thanks” to the proposal…
Read More “Mt Pleasant Tells Range Resources “No Deal” on Water Impoundments”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Soil | Statewide PA | Wastewater

Pittsburgh Water-Testing Lab’s Certification Pulled, $60K Fine
September 27, 2013September 27, 2013

We don’t know if any Marcellus drillers in Pennsylvania were previously using Pittsburgh-based Microbac Laboratories to test water or soil for drilling purposes–but we do know they aren’t using them now. The PA Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) investigated Microbac and found 50 violations at their Baltimore, Maryland lab. Microbac has voluntarily relinquished its accreditation and will pay a $60,000 fine. Ouch. They will also pay to have an independent third-party audit (i.e. someone will come in and tell them what they’re doing wrong)…
Read More “Pittsburgh Water-Testing Lab’s Certification Pulled, $60K Fine”
Energy Services | GE Oil & Gas | Industrywide Issues | Wastewater

GE’s New Frack Wastewater Technology Uses Old Technology
September 27, 2013September 27, 2013

GE, which has long had an oil and gas division, is stepping into a new arena for the company: Cleaning up frack wastewater. The company has a new “membrane distillation” process/technology that cuts down on the amount of fresh water needed to clean up frack wastewater. It also cuts out transportation (happens on-site) and eliminates the heating and cooling usually required. Oh, and did we mention: It cuts the price in half over traditional treatment methods.

A bit more about GE’s new frack wastewater technology, which “borrows” this new process/technology from an old technology–industrial refrigerators…
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