A lengthy discussion of gas drilling issues at the Upper Delaware Council (UDC) Thursday night, showed different viewpoints from the public on how safe the practice will be on the environment.
The UDC, meanwhile, is yet to decide on a formal position. UDC Director William Douglass stressed that a statement in the Spring/Summer UDC newsletter that natural gas drilling in the scale envisioned is incompatible in the River Corridor, was a comment generated by staff. The opinion was based on the 1986 River Management Plan and was issued to New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). That agency was seeking written comments for their environmental impact statement. This document was part of a process of updating gas drilling regulations. In the meantime, New York has a moratorium in place on issuing any permits for the natural gas exploration.
The question of who will pay for testing private water wells in vicinity of planned gas drilling came up after a Wayne County property owner inquired. Lucille Giffone sent a letter to the UDC stating that she had her well tested at a cost of $450. Noting that to create a baseline before drilling begins, one should have their water tested two or three times and test every few months once drilling begins, she asked who would pay for it.
“Who is gong to pay for this? I cannot afford to have my water tested at $450 a pop. This will cost a person thousands of dollars a year,” she writes. Wondering of the county would assist people, or the gas companies would pay, she also asked who would help land owners if an accident contaminated the wells.
“I think this is a very risky business, since people cannot live without drinking water,” Giffone writes.
The Pa. Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) advises requesting the well operator to hire a certified lab to test the water supply before drilling starts. This is to document the pre-drill conditions in case drilling for gas adversely affects the water. DEP also advises that if the gas operator declines to do this, the land owner should consider hiring a laboratory approved by DEP to do the testing, at the landowner’s expense.
Don Hamilton, National Park Service, suggested that the gas company will generally pay for the testing within 1,000 feet of a well through private labs, since the gas company is presumed responsible. Fred Peckham, UDC delegate for the Town of Hancock, added that the companies don’t want to be held liable if something happens, so they will do the testing.
“I lack that faith in the industry.” replied Larry Richardson, UDC- Town of Cochecton.
Marian Schweighofer, Executive Director, Northern Wayne Property Owners Alliance, representing gas lease holders of about 80,000 acres, passionately urged the Delaware River basin Commission (DRBC) to move forward. She stated that her petitioners- not all being lease holders- want responsible drilling, but after investigation found “minimum risk” if gas extraction is done properly.
Others in the audience differed with Schweighofer’s conclusion. Laurie Stuart said we must not presume we are “good stewards” of the Earth, citing a bad history of environmental consciousness. Jim Barth, Berlin Township, stated that he saw no “science” to back up the idea that gas extraction can be done responsibly. He said it was no coincidence that oil and gas were given an exemption to federal regulation.
Robert Tudor, DRBC, explained a recent change in their procedure, lowering the threshold for where DRBC will intervene and require approval from the gas industry. This was done to defend the watershed- the Delaware River and its tributaries, which are classified as Special Protection Waters for their present, high quality. The Marcellus Shale, he said, include 36 percent of the Delaware River watershed.
Peckham asked Tudor, “Why is the DRBC so slow?” he suggested that the reason the DRBC had only five gas related applications (two to drill, three for surface water withdrawal) to review was that the gas industry does not know what the DRBC wants; the DRBC has been only reactive, said Peckham.
Richardson countered, “If slowing it down means doing it right, then take your time.”
The UDC meets on the first Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at their office, 211 Bridge St., Narrowsburg, NY. They may be recahed at (845)252-3022.
Costs of testing your well
Bryan Swistock, Water Resources Specialist, Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences, advises that there are no state regulations requiring water testing. As part of a pre-drill survey, a driller may voluntarily choose to test the home near the gas well to document water quality prior to drilling. A homeowner may choose to do the same testing.
A state-certified lab should do the test, and a lab representative should visit the home to collect the samples if the homeowner wants the results to be legally meaningful, Swistock said.
“Penn State can test water for anything for a price,” he stated. There are a few tests such as total dissolved solids, chloride and barium that are good indicators of gas drilling contamination. They can be monitored for under $100 per sample. After that, the cost increases when other contaminates are sought, like methane gas ($50 to $100 alone) and organics that could be used in fracing.
