Cassandra Burdyshaw

April 23, 2011

Officials from the Chesapeake Energy Corp. announced that the Pennsylvania gas well that spilled thousands of gallons of contaminated water has been stabilized. The spill happened on Tuesday, when the company lost control of the well, located on the Marcellus Shale. Contaminated water is a normal byproduct of fracking, the process used to release the natural gas from the shale.

Critics say that fracking can poison drinking water. The gas industry maintains that the process is safe. The Chesapeake Energy Corp. has suspended use of the fracking technique until it can determine the cause of the spill, which remains a mystery.

Seven families who lived by the well were forced to evacuate the area. The families were temporarily relocated until the agencies responding to the spill were confident that the problem had been contained. Although officials reported that the spill has been stabilized, whether the families can now return to their homes remains unclear.

Although no injuries were reported, the spill did contaminate a nearby stream. Thousands of gallons of drilling fluids spilled across farmland, eventually reaching a stream. The state Department of Environmental Protection is waiting for results from water tests to determine the level of contamination that occurred. Officials advised a local farmer not to allow his cows to drink from the surface water.

The supervisor of the town in which the spill occurred opined that the risk of accidents such as the one this week is worth taking in order to receive the royalty fees that energy companies pay land owners. He also stated that it would be a good thing if everyone could still drink their well water.

Sources:

Laura Olson, Chesapeake says Bradford County fluid and gas leak is under control, Pittsburgh Post-Gazzette, April 22, 2011, http://post-gazette.com/pg/11112/1141076-503.stm.

Associated Press, Chemical Fluids Leak From Pennsylvania Gas Well, Fox News, April 20, 2011, http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/04/20/chemical-fluids-leak-pennsylvania-gas/.

Associated Press, Pennsylvania: Drilling Technique Suspended After Spill, NY Times, April 21, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/22/us/22brfs-DRILLINGTECH_BRF.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=well%20spill&st=cse.