Marcellus Shale: Ecological Aspects of Hydrofracing
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Austin, Texas Inside During a summer trip to Austin, Texas, pausing to read their favorite hometown paper, the Alfred Sun, are (from left) Carol Onoda, Sandy Greiff, Sunny Side Up ........................Pg. 3 Judy Samber, Barb Greil, and former Al- Miracle on East Valley Rd.......Pg. 5 fred resident Carol Reed. They had just ‘Mr. Hopson Reminisces’........Pg. 6 enjoyed a wonderful Classified ads ........................Pg. 11 lunch at Ruby’s B-B- Q in Austin featuring Years Ago in the SUN ..........Pg. 12 authentic and organic beef brisket, served AU football 13th in poll ........Pg.15 with slices of good old Wonderbread! A-A swim duo sets marks ......Pg.16 Vol. 125, No. 49 Alfred, Allegany County, New York State, U.S.A. 14802 Thursday, December 23, 2010 Marcellus Shale: ecological aspects of hydrofracing By ELAINE HARDMAN edge of the formation is not as weeks and about 3 times the 10% and 60% of that water is re- These occupy about 5 acres and Alfred Sun Reporter deep as the center so there is less money. Horizontal wells are covered and then stored in plas- are the center of the noise, air ADDISON--On Tuesday, gas present. The gas in the rock drilled down about a mile and tic lined vats or sent by truck to and light pollution for the proj- Dec. 7 Brent Chedzey spoke is not in pockets or pools but in then the drill is turned to drill be “reclaimed”. ect. One pad might have 10 about gas land leases at Addiston bubbles throughout. The rock horizontally away from the well Among the chemicals in the wells on it. School. At the same meeting, has to be drilled into and then site on the ground. It can go an- water are acids to dissolve rock, Grace suggested that if a hy- Jim Grace, Cornell Cooperative blown to gravel to release the other mile or more in the hori- biocides to kill bacteria, corro- drofracing project moves into an Extension agent in Steuben deposits. zontal phase. sion inhibitors to keep pipes area, each homeowner should County, gave a presentation Grace said that there is a lot of After drilling a conventional open, iron control agents to keep have a water test done. A touching on financial, geological confusion over the types of well, the gas is pumped out. rust from building up, a cross trained, third party, technician and ecological aspects of the wells. A conventional gas well, After drilling a horizontal well, linker to change viscosity of the should collect and transport the complicated agenda of horizon- drilled into a single, contiguous 3 to 5 million gallons of chemi- water, a gel agent to make the water to the testing facility to es- tal hydrofracing. pocket of gas, takes 2-4 weeks to cal fortified water is trucked to water flow and a few other tablish a baseline of the chemi- Steuben and Allegany County drill and costs a few million. Hy- the site and pumped down the agents and chemicals not indige- cal composition of that water. It are located over the northern drofracing (or gasfracking) a well. The water pressure cracks nous to well water. should cost between $500 and edge of the Marcellus Shale. The horizontal well requires 4-6 shale to release gas. Between All of these toxins are in the $700 per test – a process that reclaimed water and many peo- should be done every 3 months ple have said that an area where or so. The cost of this test can be hydrofracking is done should assigned to the gas company if it have a special water treatment is written into a lease deal. facility that is capable of remov- Most people are interested in ing and dealing with these indus- the development of the Marcel- trial chemicals. (Of course, lus Shale because of the money someone would have to pay for it brings to an area. Hydrofrac- that.) Right now most water ing is going on across northern treatment facilities remove par- Pennsylvania so that set up of- ticulate material and kill micro- fers a glimpse of what might scopic organisms. Heavy metals happen here. In PA there are and acids flow through. When many “man camps” to house all reverse osmosis has been tried to the temporary workers who drill clean the water, the additives de- the wells. stroy the filters so that’s not the Rental properties have be- anwer. come more valuable so low in- Ohio is dealing with the water come families have been priced by pumping it into underground out of their homes. Local gov- wells and reservoirs. New York ernments have suffered from in- does not have the geological creased fire, ambulance and equivalent of these structures. EMT calls to the point that some The water also contains first responders have had to NORM, a friendly sounding choose between keeping their word that means Normally Oc- jobs and being available to an- curring Radio Active Material. swer calls. While it may occur normally in The drilling jobs have mostly the rock a mile down, the gone to out of state, temporary process brings the NORM to the workers who do spend money in IMPACTS of fluid disposal shown in slide at meeting. (Elaine Hardman Photo) surface with recovered water. an area during their temporary Some towns have not allowed work. There aren’t many long their water to be used like this so terms jobs – only .17 full-time, Four county residents awarded scholarships a new process was developed – long-term jobs per well so a well ALFRED–Four Allegany Cuba-Rushford Central School Pratt is slated to graduate in gasfracking. LNG is treated with pad with 10 wells would need al- County residents have each been and intends to enroll in the elec- 2011 from Genesee Valley Cen- the same chemical cocktail and most 2 workers for the 10-15 awarded scholarships to attend trical construction and mainte- tral School and intends to enroll sand and pumped into the years it would produce gas. Alfred State College. nance technician program. in the nursing program. ground. When the stuff returns Steuben County has created a Cody Lippincott of Almond Alexis Holmok of Alfred Sta- The "Presidential Scholar- to its gaseous state it creates natural gas committee to study was awarded approximately tion was awarded a $1,000 per ship" (free room, double occu- pressure to crack the rock. In the many questions. Other coun- $5,600 per year for the “Presi- year “Educational Foundation pancy) is awarded to students gasfracking, 98% of the gas ties have found that they need dential Scholarship.” Lippincott Academic Distinction Scholar- who possess a 90 or better high pumped in is reclaimed when county wide zoning rules for tree is slated to graduate in 2011 ship.” Holmok is slated to grad- school average through their the gas in the rocks is collected. cutting, signage, noise ordi- from Alfred-Almond Central uate in 2011 from junior year and who have Gasfracking does not involve nances, light pollution levels and School and intends to enroll in Alfred-Almond Central School achieved a minimum SAT score the transport and use of oceans to control the transportation of the forensic science technology and intends to enroll in the digi- of 1150 or a composite ACT of water but it does still turn a liquids. Critical impact areas program. tal media and animation pro- score of 25. The “Educational shale formation into small bits need to be defined and road use Kody Beil of Friendship was gram. Foundation Academic Distinc- thus allowing for the contamina- weight limits need to be defined awarded a $1,000 per year “Ed- Katherine Pratt of Belmont tion” award, based on scholastic tion of acquifers. and enforced. ucational Foundation Academic was awarded a $1,000 per year achievement, is from the Educa- When people lease their land Grace gave Distinction Scholarship.” Beil is “Educational Foundation Aca- tional Foundation of Alfred, Inc. to the gas companies, workers http://naturalgas.cce.cornell.edu slated to graduate in 2011 from demic Distinction Scholarship.” move in and build drilling pads. as a reference site. 2 THE ALFRED SUN, Thursday, December 23, 2010 OBITUARIES Presbyterian Church. She was an James Glass of New Jersey. avid Buffalo Bills and Sabres fan. There was no visitation and a She enjoyed reading and keeping memorial service will be at the up on the latest local news with convenience of the family. To her police and fire scanners. Ad- leave online condolences, please ditionally, she was a longtime v i s i t member of Andover Firemen’s www.embserfuneralhome.com. Auxiliary and Andover American Legion Auxiliary. DONALD DEAN WEBSTER Per her request, there was no Served in US Navy 1952-56 prior visitation. A private memo- SCIO—Donald Dean Webster, rial service will be held at the con- 78, of 5691 Snowball Hollow venience of the family. Road, Scio, died Sunday (Dec. 5, Arrangements are under the direc- 2010) in Jones Memorial Hospi- tion of Baker-Swan Funeral tal, Wellsville, surrounded by his Home in Andover. Online condo- family. lences may be offered at He was born Aug. 27, 1932, in www.baker-swan.com. the town of Ward, the son of Dean Janet has suggested that a tree and Rose Quant Webster. Members of Alfred University’s Art Force Five teach Mrs. Pow- be planted in her memory or a On Oct. 15, 1966, in Belmont, ers 3rd-grade art class about famous dreamers throughout his- HILDA C. VARS contribution in her name be made he was married to Anna Mae tory.