Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC)’s oversight of natural gas drilling pleased a crowd of concerned citizens Thursday night, who also demanded that the Upper Delaware Council (UDC) take an official stand on the topic.
The UDC board room in Narrowsburg was filled, and one by one, most of the attendees expressed their fears that drillers in the region will create irreparable harm both to the environment and health of anyone living near a gas well. Many of the crowd listed themselves as representing the Damascus Citizens for Self-Government, a group that formed in the wake of natural gas exploration in the region.
Many passionate comments were made by the visitors. Bernard Handler of Damascus remarked that the arrival of gas explorers in the area is the most significant event since the land was taken from the Indians. He implored the UDC to ask for a full environmental impact study, and to send letters to legislators to nullify the exemption given drillers from the Clean Water Act of 2005.
His wife Mary said the Upper Delaware River itself lacks a voice to be heard and is one of the few clean places on Earth.
James Barth, Welcome Lake, warned that the forested hills we now see may become a major industrial zone.
A film maker, Josh Fox of Milanville, said he spent much time documenting the sad stories out west where gas drilling has affected the health of people. He cited cases of brain damage and paralysis affecting residents within 1,000 feet of a well, as well as hearing damage. “I’m dead serious about this,” he said.
Clarke Rupert, DRBC, reported that the only gas well dug in the Marcellus Shale region to date within the Basin, is in Wayne County. The well on the Louis Matoushek property in Clinton Township was dug in May, and is an exploratory well. It has since been capped, and fracking has not yet begun. Although over 1,400 leases have been signed for gas drilling in northern Wayne County alone, no other well in this area has started.
The DRBC oversees water quality within the four-state watershed of the Delaware River, which overlaps the underground Marcellus Shale gas field.
Dolores Keesler, the newly appointed UDC delegate for Damascus Township, and others on the UDC raised several questions to Rupert.
Before drilling is allowed to start, a docket must be filed by the company  with the DRBC. Rupert said that to date, no application has been received, he said. There has been verbal contact with Stone Energy Corp., which dug the Matoushek well, but nothing so far has come in writing. Enforcement proceedings are still in process, he said.
The DRBC is involved, he said, because of the large amount of water involved to extract the gas through the fracking method. That water will include chemicals and possibly brine taken from deep underground, and must be disposed of properly.
Much to the delight of the audience, Rupert stated that the type of chemicals must be disclosed in the application to the DRBC.
A docket must be filed if at least 100,000 gallons a day averaged over 30 days will be extracted, though DRBC will still look at water quality for lesser amounts. The docket would have to be approved by the DRBC  commissioners at a public hearing, and Rupert said it was unclear how long that would take.
DRBC also is concerned about the effect on water resources by reducing the flow in streams or aquifers.
Sharing his own opinion, UDC’s alternate delegate for Town of Hancock, Fred Pechkam, commented that property owners have their rights to do what they want with their land, and the drilling’s impact may not be as disruptive as some are saying.
UDC’s Shohola delegate George Fluhr explained to the crowd that the UDC has been proactive, hosting a gas seminar with the Park Service, gathering and sending out information. He advised citizens to approach their local towns, since the UDC will act on behest of their member towns’ requests.
For more on DRBC’s role in the gas permit process, see online, www.state.nj.us/drbc under “What’s New.”