Water Quality Concerns Surface From Marcellus Shale Drilling In Pennsylvania

By Kevin Westerling

During a recent public hearing of the Pennsylvania House Republican Policy Committee, Department of Environmental Protection Secretary John Hanger testified that Marcellus shale gas drilling in the state is negatively affecting the environment, and called for new regulations to minimize its impact, according to recent stories published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Indiana (PA) Gazette.

At issue are water discharges created during the drilling process, in which millions of gallons of water is pumped into the ground to fracture the shale body located 5,000 to 8,000 feet below two-thirds of the state's surface area. The resulting wastewater byproduct, said Hanger, contains exceptionally high concentrations of total dissolved solids (TDS) which have already found their way into rivers and streams, including drinking water sources such as the Monongahela River.

While Hanger advocated for tighter controls, Ray Walker, senior vice president for Range Resources, noted in testimony recorded by the Indiana Gazette that numerous nationwide and state studies have shown no link between hydraulic fracturing and groundwater contamination. Range Resources employs more than 300 people in Pennsylvania, and has invested more than $1 billion since 2004 as the largest holder of gas wells in the state.

If passed, the proposed regulations would take effect on Jan. 1, 2011. That timeline, and the sheer volume of water discharge created by Marcellus shale operations, may pose a challenge for wastewater treatment, according to Paul Hart, president of Hart Resource Technologies, which operates wastewater treatment facilities in the area. Hart testified that his company's conventional treatment system could not accommodate the amount of water produced, and warned that new treatment technology is expensive and would not be operational in time to meet the year-end deadline.

The state Environmental Quality Board has scheduled a final vote on the matter for May 19.