- Wyalusing, Bradford Co. PA
Kevin Begos writing for the Associated Press, as reported in the Philadelphia Inquirer on June 23rd, describes an open legal settlement in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, involving three families who experienced contaminated water wells as a result of Marcellus drilling by Chesapeake Energy.
Jared McMicken of Wyalusing said the agreement reached Thursday provides little comfort since his drinking water was ruined by nearby drilling, and his family must move. “We’ve lost our house, and we’re not going to get out of it what we got into it,” he said. “We have a bunch of people who have to leave their homes.”
McMicken said he and the other families in the case insisted that any settlement be made public. The families settled for $1.6 million. The families will have to give Chesapeake the properties by the end of 2012.
The arbitration trial began this week and was settled on the fourth day. Attorney Todd O’Malley said he believes this is the first case involving pollution in the Marcellus Shale region where settlement terms were publicly disclosed. Past disputes have been sealed.
Chesapeake said in a statement that it believes there is no permanent damage to the properties and that other water wells in the area showed natural contamination before drilling began. McMicken disputed that, saying his water and that of his neighbors was fine before the drilling. “They screwed up all the wells on this mountain. Anybody that lives in this area, are going to pay the price over time,” McMicken said. Attorney John Romano said he’s representing about 30 other families in the region with similar claims.
Last year the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection fined Chesapeake just over $1 million for contaminating the water supplies of 16 families in the area, including McMicken’s. A transcript of expert testimony in the settlement showed that experts from DEP agreed that faulty cement casings on the wells allowed gas and other substances to migrate from deep underground and pollute the water wells.
“While Chesapeake remains confident that the water supply is consistent with area water quality standards, it has entered into the settlement so the families and the company could bring closure to the matter,” the company said.
Point Your RSS Reader to FrackCheckWV.net/feed/
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS CASE CAN BE FOUND IN THE LINK BELOW. Chesapeake Energy operates almost 200 wells in Pennsylvania, most are in Bradford County. The company has racked up about 190 violations and paid about $1.2 million in fines. The wells in question above are along Paradise Road in Wyalusing borough.
http://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2012/06/21/chesapeake-to-pay-1-6-million-for-contaminating-water-wells-in-bradford-county/
I have more than 15 years in the business, and come from a oil/gas family. I worked as a driller and motorman in Bradford co. for CHK. One of the questions I ask is that if Chesapeake denies liability then why are they settling. If I was confident my actions didnt result in damage then I wouldnt pay. Seems like CHK feels there is a liabilty and this is damage control. It would seem in my opinion that the disruption to the formations and inadequate barriers such as casing and cement are key. There are various methods to find the answer but they are not cost effective for operators. It always comes down to the bottom line.