Pennsylvania Well Malfunctions, Causes Evacuation
Monday, March 18, 2013
According to the Times-Tribune, a natural gas well malfunctioned on Wednesday, March 13, resulting in thousands of gallons of fracking fluid escaping the well and several families in the area being evacuated.
Read it:
“The Marcellus Shale well on Carrizo Oil and Gas’ Yarasavage pad off Keiserville Road began malfunctioning during a fracking operation at around 6 p.m. Wednesday, Department of Environmental Protection spokeswoman Colleen Connolly said.
The problem worsened overnight when natural gas was detected leaking from the well and the salty, chemically treated wastewater flowed out at a rate that peaked at around 800 gallons per minute before subsiding, according to the company and regulators.”
The Times-Tribune reported 227,000 gallons of the fluid was captured in tanks and trucks off site.
Nobody was injured in the accident.
Here’s a video from a local television station, describing the incident.
Read more at thetimes-tribune.com.
» Via: The Times-Tribune › Wyoming County well malfunction causes spill, evacuation
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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.