A large amount of water used in fracking a natural gas and oil well spilled in rural West Virginia.
The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection had inspectors on the scene southeast of Wheeling in Marshall County, near the small town of Dallas over the weekend.
Nearly 100,000 gallons leaked from a pit used to store fracking waste outside Wheeling, and the bulk of it flowed downhill into a nearby creek.
“Right now, there is not an alarming level of concern. Certainly, it is not materials we want flowing freely in the environment,” said Kathy Cosco, of the West Virginia Department of West Virginia.
The department said that 95,000 gallons of drill water mixed with fresh water poured out of an open valve down a hill, then into a tributary of Big Wheeling Creek.
“Fortunately, we have found no evidence of any fish kill or any aquatic life being affected by this spill, so that is good news,” Cosco said.
The department has taken water and soil samples and testing is underway.
The drilling company Noble Energy said, “We do not believe that any creeks, streams or surrounding landowners have been significantly impacted.”
A local university professor said the Big Wheeling Creek feeds into the Ohio River, which is a source of drinking water for millions of people.
When asked if there will be an impact to water intake, Wheeling Jesuit University Professor Ben Stout said, “I don’t think so, but I am glad the Wheeling water intake is upstream from Wheeling Creek.”
Stout said that if there was hydrochloric acid in the spill, it could have a long-term impact on the stream.
“There are events that occur and they are going to occur more frequently with more industrial activity,” Stout said.
Noble Energy released the following statement to NBC4:
“At approximately 8:20 p.m. on Friday, February 22, 2013, Noble Energy became aware that its SHL-3 centralized pit was overflowing at its water storage site. Noble Energy employees responded immediately and found a valve was open, feeding the pit with freshwater. Employees resolved the issue by closing the valve and stopping the flow. A root cause analysis is being conducted to determine why the valve was open and Noble Energy will adopt protocols to prevent such occurrence in the future. >>>MORE<<<
2 comments:
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Thank you for the reply and compliment Randy. That's the way I try to pretty much talk to people to when talking about issues, give them the facts the best I can find and not sound like someone giving istructions on the latest tax form or other Government form.... :)
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