Oily Goo on Pennsylvania Property Sparks Investigation
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
A family in Pennsylvania has been removed from their home after a gas-smelling ooze began coming from their front lawn in Allegheny County, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune Review.
The property was built near an abandoned well that has been capped and sealed.
Read it:
“DEP is trying to determine whether the substance, which smelled like crude oil, could have come from an abandoned well on the property, said spokeswoman Amanda Witman.
“We have encountered similar situations in the past, where there was an abandoned conventional oil well,” Witman said.
Laux said the house was built about 500 feet above an abandoned coal mine, and there once was a 2- or 3-inch-wide shaft on the property that since was capped and sealed. Though that shaft might have provided ventilation for the mine, it could have been the top of an oil well, he said.”
» Via: Pittsburgh Tribune Review » Fox Chapel ooze baffles state investigators
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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.