ODNR shuts down fracking fluid recycling center in Jefferson County
Saturday, March 28, 2015
Jefferson County residents have filed complaints about a fracking fluid recycling operation in Hammondsville, The Intelligencer & Wheeling News-Register reports.
Anchor Drilling Fluids was using new drill cuttings on the site. This doesn’t require approval, but recycling on-site does. The company has been ordered to cease recycling operations until it receives approval from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
Chief of the ODNR Division of Oil and Gas Resource Management Richard Simmers said in a March 17 letter that state inspectors visited the site, located along state Route 213. In 2014, the agency inspected 27,600 sites.
Via: The Intelligencer & Wheeling News-Register > ODNR Shuts Down Jefferson County Frack Recycling Facility
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Shale FAQ
What is fracking?
Fracking is a slang term for hydraulic fracturing. Fracturing is a process by which highly pressurized fluid is pumped thousands of feet into the ground to fracture rock formations. The goal is to release the natural gas that’s locked inside the rock.
Is it safe?
What most concerns people about fracturing is ground water contamination. The worry is that fractures underground, caused by the process, will extending upwards and into aquifers, releasing gas and chemicals into the ground water supply. There’s been no confirmed reports of such a thing happening. Though surface spills and drill site blowouts can lead to localized environmental concerns.
Will my water catch on fire?
Flammable water is caused by the release of methane gas into a drinking water supply. Methane gas occurs naturally and can be released by any kind of drilling, including water wells. In Pennsylvania officials fined Chesapeake Energy $1 million for contaminating ground water with methane. It was determined that the company had not properly cemented it’s boreholes and gas migrated up the well, between rock and into aquifers.