Muddy Water from Marcellus Drilling Pollutes White Day Creek
Article by Kim Freda, WBOY, Clarksburg, WV, May 31, 2013
A WV-DEP inspector went to the creek and verified that a company was using a pressurized method to construct a borehole to drill for natural gas, which broke free and created a silty and muddy condition in the stream. WV-DEP spokesman Tom Aluise said the method didn’t utilize drilling mud but was using some type of pressurized water system.
Ron Lane is the contractor working at White Day Creek. PDC Energy owns the pipeline, according to the WV-DEP.
The WV-DEP is investigating the situation further, according to the news broadcast.
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NOTE from Diane Pitcock, WV Host Farms, May 31,2013
This article about silting at White Day Creek is not a surprise. The local citizens predicted a couple years ago that drilling and fracking if allowed would pollute this pristine creek. This is timely information given that Doddridge County has just gone through a long, challenging process to revise the county flood plain ordinance to protect landowners and our streams. This is an example as why it is so important to continue advocating against drilling on flood plains or in high quality watersheds.
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
So, should we assume that whatever pressurized water reached the stream also contained drill cuttings as well ? …. Depending on what kind of rock and soil is being drilled through those cuttings can be problematic.
I hope the WV DEP is forthcoming with the results of its investigation.
Thanks for keeping up with this and all the other issues you cover.
As the report and pictures show, this is a pipeline construction job, not drilling nor fracturing operations for Marcellus Shale natural gas. Having soil and bedrock from the locale in the stream should not be characterized as pollution. Soil along streams are deposited and eroded by the stream as water levels vary.
Sediment is the scientific term for mud, dirt, and soil. While it is a natural part of the environment, too much of it in one place can pollute our streams, lakes, and rivers. Sediment runoff negatively impacts the health of local streams by degrading habitat for aquatic life, decreasing recreational value, and promoting growth of invasive plant species and algae.