• Home
  • About
  • Publications
  • Links
    • Drilling and Fracking
    • Resources
    • Stuff I Like
    • TX Progressive Alliance
  • Must See Videos
  • PSYOPS
  • Shale Survival
    • Before drilling starts
    • Tools
    • Medical
  • FAQ
  • Contact Me

Texas Sharon's Bluedaze

Fracking News

Polluted Water in Marcellus Shale Came From Oil and Gas Drilling

January 31, 2009 By TXsharon

Remember how oil and gas producers are always saying no one can prove that smoking cigarettes causes cancer water pollution was caused by their activity…we now have proof.

DEP zeros in on gas tainting water
Tests show source is a formation tapped for energy

Natural gas invading at least nine water wells in Dimock Township has been tracked to the Marcellus Shale or a similar formation being tapped by drilling crews working in the area.

In an effort to fix the problem, regulators from the state Department of Environmental Protection have asked Cabot Oil & Gas to vent its natural gas production wells around the Carter Road area, just south of Montrose, said Mark Carmon, a spokesman for the agency. The intention is to give the gas seeping in the ground and collecting in water supplies a means to escape.


I’ve blogged previously about this issue
. A water well exploded. YIKES!

Tests show gas found in water is “production gas,” Carmon said, meaning it escaped from the kind of geological formation commonly tapped for energy. The state has ruled out the possibility it was a product of organic conditions in shallow ground that sometimes affect water wells.

Carmon stopped short of blaming Cabot, adding more lab work is needed to pinpoint exactly how the gas migrated from thousands of feet below the earth.

I expect the industry to pull out all stops to make sure this is not proven to be the result of gas drilling.

About Sharon Wilson

Sharon Wilson is considered a leading citizen expert on the impacts of shale oil and gas extraction. She is the go-to person whether it’s top EPA officials from D.C., national and international news networks, or residents facing the shock of eminent domain and the devastating environmental effects of natural gas development in their backyards.

  • Mail
  • |
  • Web
  • |
  • More Posts(5116)

Filed Under: Barnett Shale, Water

Comments

  1. Diane Seymour says

    February 2, 2009 at 9:05 pm

    Thanks for all of the good info.

    All of the media coverage of this explosion and the gas found in the private wells in Dimock Township contain comments to the effect that the levels of gas in the water isn’t dangerous for drinking, and yet the official Pennsylvania DEP news release states: “drinking water standard limitations have not been established for natural gas and associated health risks have not been identified.” One more reason to be concerned about the rapid advance of drilling in the Marcellus Shale.
    Diane
    http://www.homebeckons.com

  2. TXsharon says

    February 2, 2009 at 9:16 pm

    What? Drinking water that contains enough methane to blow the top off a well is not dangerous!

    What will they think of next?

  3. TXsharon says

    February 2, 2009 at 9:18 pm

    Also consider that if the methane is migrating there might be other substances that are also migrating like hydraulic fracturing fluid or toluene or…

Stalk TXsharon

Recent Posts

  • Register for the worldwide premier of Uncovering the Permian Climate Bomb
  • Update: Chris Faulkner > IT Guy > Frack Master > Felon
  • French Energy Giant Total Declares War on Texas Toddlers
  • Hydrocarbon odors during oil and gas drilling
  • MSNBC and TXsharon in the Texas fracking zone
  • Blowout: Inside America’s Energy Gamble

Like Earthworks on Facebook

Categories

Archives

All work © Sharon Wilson. No works may be shared copied in full without permission. Bluedaze: Drilling Reform. Site Design by Sumy Designs. Powered by those who advocate for a safe and healthy environment.