A leaking waste water pipe from a Range Resources Marcellus Shale gas well drilled in Washington County's Cross Creek Park has polluted an unnamed tributary of Cross Creek Lake, killing fish, salamanders, crayfish and aquatic insect life in approximately three-quarters of a mile of the stream.
The state Department of Environmental Protection said Range Resources reported the May 26 waste water discharge from a coupling on a 6-inch pipe running from a recently drilled well to a waste water impoundment.
The DEP has taken water samples of the stream above and below the pollution release, said Helen Humphreys, a department spokeswoman, and, after those are evaluated, will determine the appropriate enforcement action.
The Range Resources wastewater pipeline connects three Marcellus Shale deep gas wells drilled in the 3,000 acre county-owned park.
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I demand that whoever loosened the bolts on that wastewater pipeline be brought to justice. No way did the bolts just get loose. They pressure test those lines to make sure there are no leaks. They aren't there very long. Someone loosened them to try and make the drillers look like they do not drill responsibly. I think that it is important to note that Range Resources reported the leak to PaDEP, not a visitor to the site or anyone else. The company is trying to do the right thing and someone is trying to sabotage them.
ReplyDeleteANYONE who thinks that someone who CARES about the environment would deliberately pollute it is really deep in delusion. Doing the right thing would be to spend the drilling money to develop clean, renewable energy sources and employ local citizens in developing them.
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