Posts Tagged ‘Plymouth’

By Elizabeth Skrapits (Staff Writer)
Published: August 2, 2010

JACKSON TWP. – Just as individual property owners are testing their drinking water wells before natural gas drilling starts, Pennsylvania American Water Co. has established a baseline to ensure nothing affects the quality of water the company provides to its thousands of customers.

After giving The Citizens’ Voice a tour of the Ceasetown Reservoir’s filtration plant last week, Pennsylvania American Water representatives explained what the company is doing to augment its water quality monitoring to prevent contamination from natural gas drilling.

Although no gas wells are planned near the Huntsville or Ceasetown reservoirs in Jackson and Lehman townships, Encana Oil & Gas USA Inc. has leased mineral rights to land close to both reservoirs and is preparing to drill an exploratory well in Lake Township, not far from the Lehman Township border.

Pennsylvania American Water Production Manager Mark Cross said the company has met with Encana and showed the gas company maps to indicate where the reservoirs’ watershed is and where future drilling activity could affect them.

“We had a lot of conversations with them to say this is a concern to us, and we need ongoing communication, and we need to know what your plans are,” he said.

Pennsylvania American Water also shared its watershed maps with the state Department of Environmental Protection, Cross said. Although there is no legal requirement to notify water companies when drilling permits are issued, DEP will take the watershed maps into consideration, and Pennsylvania American Water is also keeping up “ongoing dialogue” with the state agency, he said.

“Our focus is we want to know what’s going on out there, we want constant communication, we want to know what is in place out there, what their mitigation measures are, what spill control and response plans they have,” Cross said. “And it’s worked very well. They’ve been very cooperative, both DEP and Encana.”

‘Constantly monitored’

When people in Ashley, Conyngham Township, Courtdale, Edwardsville, Hanover Township, Hunlock Township, Larksville, Nanticoke, Plymouth, Plymouth Township, Pringle, Salem Township, Shickshinny and Wilkes-Barre City turn on their taps, the water probably comes from the Ceasetown Reservoir, which is fed by Pikes Creek.

Pennsylvania American Water’s 70,000 customers served by the Ceasetown Reservoir have their water treated at a facility in Jackson Township. A similar facility treats the water from the nearby Huntsville Reservoir, which serves about 29,000 customers. Huntsville serves Dallas, Kingston Township, Swoyersville, West Wyoming and Wyoming.

The “raw water” from the reservoir is piped into the facility in a 42-inch main, where chemicals are added to coagulate the small particles and make them easier to remove, Cross said.

The water then goes through a series of filters, which include irregularly shaped plastic beads that gather impurities, and layers of sand and gravel. The water is treated with chlorine to disinfect it and lime to adjust the pH level, then it is sent to a series of storage tanks and pump stations for distribution to customers.

Ceasetown’s facility handles a normal flow of 9 million gallons a day, Plant Supervisor Sean Sorber said. During droughts, Harveys Creek is used as an emergency source, but that hasn’t been necessary for about 10 years, Cross said.

“Ceasetown Reservoir is a very good source, very good quality,” he said.

Cross said the water is “constantly monitored” at the plant, and physical tests are done in its lab. A sink in the lab has a series of specialized faucets, each pouring water in a different stage of treatment. Every shift at the plant runs a minimum of two series of 15 tests – about 100 a day – Sorber said.

Because of impending natural gas drilling, Pennsylvania American Water instituted an additional set of parameters, Cross said.

Several months ago full baseline testing started at Pikes Creek, Harveys Creek, the Huntsville Reservoir in several locations, and the raw and treated water at the Huntsville and Ceasetown plants, he said. The water is tested at the plant and in the watershed for substances including volatile organic compounds, methane and total dissolved solids – extremely tiny particles of minerals or organic matter.

“We ran a full series of baseline tests – VOCs, metals, methane – on all of the sources in this Luzerne, Lackawanna and Susquehanna county area that are subject to any possible drilling,” Sorber said. “So we have a good baseline of what we currently have, and those tests will be run periodically also, as activity increases.”

Conductivity tests are one way to measure the amount of total dissolved solids, or TDSs. Changing levels of TDSs could signify a lot of things, including the water is being affected by natural gas drilling. Sorber took a sample of untreated water from one of the faucets and placed a probe in the plastic cup, then checked the meter. It was normal.

“If we see something jumping up, that will be an indication for us there’s something going on. It’s a very straightforward test,” he said.

Besides monitoring and testing, Pennsylvania American Water is active in trying to get Pennsylvania legislation changed, according to PAWC Communications Director Terry Maenza.

Two things the company would like to see changed are adding a requirement for drinking water utilities to be notified of any nearby natural gas drilling permit applications, and to have the buffer zone outside which drilling is allowed increased from 100 feet to 2,500 feet.

“We’re being as vigilant as we possibly can be, just to keep an eye on what’s proposed and before activity takes place, what safeguards are going to be in place,” Maenza said.

Contact the writer:  eskrapits@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2072

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Copyright:  Citizens Voice 

By Elizabeth Skrapits (Staff Writer)
Published: July 26, 2010

HARVEYS LAKE – The natural gas company planning two exploratory natural gas wells in Noxen is steering clear of nearby Harveys Lake.

“Carrizo has no intention of drilling under Harveys Lake or anywhere near Harveys Lake,” Carrizo Marcellus LLC spokesman Phillip Corey said. “Our first well, the closest point to the lake as the crow flies, is almost 3 miles away.”

The company leased more than 3,000 acres of Sterling Farms, property belonging to the Sordoni family. While most of the property is in Noxen Township, some is in Harveys Lake Borough, he said. However, the company does not have rights to drill under Harveys Lake and doesn’t want to, anyway, Corey said.

“You can’t just go out there to drop a hole wherever you please,” he said.

Harveys Lake resident Guy Giordano, who is vocal about keeping contaminants out of the lake, said it’s good news that Carrizo is not drilling in the borough – but it’s still a little too close for him.

“That still doesn’t give me a lot of comfort. Thirty miles, yeah, but 3 miles, I’m not so sure,” he said.

Hydraulic fracturing, commonly called “fracking,” involves blasting millions of gallons of chemical-treated water thousands of feet underground to break up the shale and release the natural gas.

The fact that some of these chemicals are not disclosed bothers Giordano.

“Why can’t they use something non-toxic?” he asked. “I can’t believe the government would let anyone put anything in the ground that’s secret.”

State law allows natural gas companies to drill up to 100 feet away from a water source. State Rep. Karen Boback, R-Harveys Lake, wants to expand the buffer to 2,500 feet away from drinking water sources, as well as lakes and other bodies of water that are governed by boroughs or second-class townships. She also wants to prohibit drilling beneath them.

Boback has also signed on as a co-sponsor to state Rep. Phyllis Mundy’s bill calling for a one-year moratorium on natural gas drilling in Pennsylvania.

Corey said Carrizo will test the drinking water of residents around the drilling site, as required in the lease, which also calls for staying at least 500 feet away from any structure or water source.

He said Carrizo has not decided which direction, if at all, to drill horizontally. The company might just stick with a vertical well to see what’s there, he said.

“We’re going to play this very conservatively,” Corey said.

Giordano stressed that he does not oppose natural gas drilling.

“I’m glad these people got the money for these drilling leases, God bless ‘em. They deserve it,” he said. “But I wish they didn’t have to drill. If it’s rural, it’s OK, the risk is not that great. But when you’re talking about a densely populated area, it’s not worth it. I don’t see how they can take the risk.”

Ceasetown connection

Giordano pulled his minivan to the side of the road to get a better look at the Ceasetown Dam, slightly misty in the summer rain and surrounded by lush green foliage.

This is one of the main reasons he worries about Harveys Lake becoming contaminated.

“A few years ago I had a sample of lake water tested at the Kirby Health Center,” Giordano confessed. “It passed as drinking water.”

Harveys Lake is the source of Harveys Creek. Pennsylvania American Water Co. spokesman Terry Maenza said the company uses Harveys Creek as a backup water supply for the Ceasetown Reservoir. It isn’t used often but it’s there for emergencies, he said.

The Ceasetown Reservoir in Lehman Township serves about 70,000 people in all or parts of Ashley, Courtdale, Conyngham Township, Edwardsville, Hanover Township, Hunlock Township, Larksville, Nanticoke, Newport Township, Plymouth, Plymouth Township, Pringle, Salem Township, Shickshinny, Wilkes-Barre and Wilkes-Barre Township.

“We have done some sampling from Harveys Creek to get some baseline data, so we have that information on file if and when any drilling does take place in the future,” Maenza said.

The Susquehanna River Basin Commission, which regulates large water withdrawals from sources within the river basin, has not issued permits for any natural gas companies to take water from anywhere in Luzerne County, including the Ceasetown or Huntsville reservoirs.

Besides permits from the commission, “There are other permits they would have to get through us before they could start taking our water,” Maenza said.

Last week, there were water tankers at the Huntsville Reservoir, but they were removing sludge, Maenza said. When the filters at the water treatment centers are backwashed, the sludge goes into a lagoon, he explained. About 95 percent of it is recycled, including for agricultural use, he said.

When it comes to natural gas drilling, Maenza said Pennsylvania American Water officials are being vigilant, talking to the state Department of Environmental Protection about permits, keeping in constant touch with legislators including Boback, Mundy, and state Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Lehman Township.

Maenza said the company has also been in contact with Encana Oil & Gas USA Inc., which started site preparations for a second exploratory natural gas well on Zosh Road in Lake Township on Wednesday, the same day Encana began drilling its first well in Fairmount Township.

“Nobody’s more concerned than us,” Maenza said. “This is our business. Water quality is what we rely on. We don’t want anything to put our water supply in jeopardy.”

eskrapits@citizensvoice.com , 570-821-2072

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Copyright:  The Citizens Voice

Pa. American Water Co. wants state government to offer water supply protection.

By Steve Mocarskysmocarsky@timesleader.com
Staff Writer

Officials with the water company that owns two Back Mountain reservoirs want to see state action to better protect those drinking water sources from contamination related to natural gas drilling.

They also want the opportunity to have input into the permitting process for natural gas wells located near those reservoirs.

Terry Maenza, spokesman for Pennsylvania American Water Co., said there is no requirement that natural gas companies or any state agency notify water suppliers when well-drilling permit applications for land near water supplies are submitted to the state Department of Environmental Protection.

“We would like to see those laws and regulations revised so we can be notified and have a chance to express any comments or concerns while a permit is under review,” Maenza said.

Maenza’s comments follow the revelation on Monday that at least one property on the shore of the Huntsville Reservoir in Lehman Township, and an adjacent property, have been leased to EnCana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc., which will begin exploratory drilling operations at a well in Fairmount Township in July and at a second in Lake Township in late summer or early fall.

Paul Siegel, who owns the three acres on the Huntsville shore, said on Monday there is language in his lease that allows him and his wife, Janet, to restrict any surface drilling on his land but would allow EnCana to drill horizontally underneath his property.

The couple’s son and daughter-in-law, Christopher and Maureen, own 10.88 acres bordered by Christopher’s parents’ land on the east and by Huntsville-Idetown Road on the west that is also leased to EnCana.

Maenza said there is a 500-foot buffer between other properties and the high-water point of the Huntsville and Ceasetown reservoirs in most areas, but some parcels of land were “grandfathered in” without buffers when Pennsylvania American bought the water system from PGW in 1996.

As far as allowing a gas company to drill underneath the reservoirs, Maenza said it “would depend on what the driller was proposing and who owns the land. I’m not sure how far (down) our rights extend under the reservoirs,” he said.

Maenza said Pennsylvania American started water sampling and visual creek inspections about two weeks ago “so we can get some baseline data before the drilling begins.”

Huntsville Reservoir provides water for about 30,000 people living in Dallas, Kingston Township., Swoyersville, Wyoming and West Wyoming. Ceasetown Reservoir provides water to about 70,000 people in Ashley, Courtdale, Edwardsville, Larksville, Nanticoke, Plymouth, Pringle, Shickshinny, the townships of Conyngham, Hanover, Hunlock, Newport and Plymouth, and portions of the city of Wilkes-Barre.

Wyoming Mayor Robert Boyer said he’d like to learn more about the drilling process, given that his town receives water from the Huntsville Reservoir.

“There is a potential for environmental concerns. If we drill for oil a mile under the ocean floor and we don’t have a plan in place to deal with a catastrophic event like we had off the Gulf Coast, it makes sense that we want to have environmental protections in place before we start drilling here. Don’t put the cart before the horse,” Boyd said.

Maenza noted that state Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Lehman Township, is working on legislation to protect water sources.

In order to protect aquifers and determine any adverse consequences attributable to drilling, one bill would require testing at three times – before drilling, at the completion of drilling and six months afterward – at three different depths.

A second bill would rule out drilling at sites too close to drinking water sources such as reservoirs.

A third bill would require DEP to ensure that the operators of wastewater treatment facilities are properly trained and sufficiently monitored to lessen the chances of human error creating a major problem.

Jennifer Wilson, Baker’s chief of staff, said specifics on the proposed bills, such as minimum distances from aquifers, are still being worked out.

Although EnCana has obtained a drilling permit for a site in Lehman Township about midway between Harveys Lake and Huntsville Reservoir, Wendy Wiedenbeck, public and community relations adviser for EnCana, said the company has not yet put together a full development program for drilling in Luzerne County should production at wells in Fairmount and Lake townships prove successful.

She did say the company is starting to look at additional potential drilling locations in the county.

As for company policies on proximity of drilling to water resources, she said the company naturally abides by the minimum setbacks set by states. But in considering additional setback distances, she said each potential drill location is unique and is assessed individually.

“We would take the same thoughtful, measured approach to any future operations as we have with our first two wells,” Wiedenbeck said.

Steve Mocarsky, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 970-7311.

Copyright: Times Leader

That situation could shift, says co-author of study of political donations.

By Andrew M. Sederaseder@timesleader.com
Times Leader Staff Writer

While natural gas companies and their related political action committees have given millions of dollars to elected officials throughout Pennsylvania since 2001, the donations have not flowed as heavily into the coffers of politicians serving Luzerne County.

One of the authors of a report that looked at the correlation of campaign contributions and legislation related to the natural gas drilling industry predicted they soon will.

A study released this week by the non-profit organization Pennsylvania Common Cause, takes a look at the link between gas firms and political donations and finds that since 2001, the industry has contributed $2.8 million to political candidates in Pennsylvania.

The study, titled “Deep Drilling, Deep Pockets” also reports that since 2007 the industry has spent $4.2 million to lobby members of the state legislature and the Rendell administration.

“I think part of the industry’s success is cultivating people at the very top,” said James Browning, director of development for Pennsylvania Common Cause and one of two men who put the report together.

The report includes a list of the top 25 recipients of the funding from Jan. 1, 2001 through April of 2010. At the top of the list is state Attorney General Tom Corbett, a Republican candidate for governor. He received $361,207, according to the report. Two previous gubernatorial candidates also made the list – Mike Fisher, who lost his bid in 2002, accepted $98,386, and Lynn Swan, who lost his bid in 2006, took in $351,263. Both men are Republicans.

Gov. Ed Rendell is sixth on the list. The Democrat from Philadelphia has accepted $84,100 in campaign contributions over the past nine and a third years. Current Democratic candidates for governor Dan Onorato, $59,300 and Jack Wagner, $44,550, ranked seventh and 10th respectively.

Others on the list include current and former judges, a former lieutenant governor, a candidate this year for that same post, a former candidate for the state House and numerous current members of the General Assembly.

Not one of the seven state House members or four state senators who represent Luzerne County made the top 25 list. In fact, according to records on the Department of State website and those provided by Pennsylvania Common Cause, campaigns for four of the seven House members did not receive one dime from the gas companies. The four are: Jim Wansacz, D-Old Forge; Phyllis Mundy, D-Kingston; Eddie Day Pashinski, D-Wilkes-Barre; and Mike Carroll, D-Avoca.

Rep. Karen Boback, R-Harveys Lake, accepted $250 from Chesapeake Energy Corp. Fed PAC on Oct. 9, 2009. Boback said that money was accepted by mistake and returned two months later. She said it is her policy “not to solicit or accept contributions from oil or gas companies.”

Rep. John Yudichak, D-Plymouth Twp., accepted $250 on April 10, 2008, from the PAC affiliated with Dominion Energy. Rep. Todd A. Eachus, D-Butler Township, accepted $500 from EQT Corp. PAC on July 2, 2009; $500 from EXCO Resources PAC on Oct. 20, 2008; and $250 from Equitable Resources, Inc. PAC on Sept. 30, 2008.

Of the four senators who represent a portion of Luzerne County, Bob Mellow, D-Peckville, took in the most at $3,000. That encompasses eight total donations, four from the Equitable Resources, Inc. Political Involvement Committee totaling $1,750 and four from the NFG PA PAC, affiliated with Seneca Resources, totaling $1,250. He declined comment through a spokeswoman, saying that he had not yet seen the report.

Sen. John Gordner, R-Berwick, accepted three donations of $500 from Dominion PAC. One came in 2004, another in 2006 and the third in 2008. His term does not expire for another two years.

Sen. Ray Musto, D-Pittston Township, accepted $500 from the Marathon Oil Co. Employees PAC on Oct. 20, 2008. Earlier this year, the veteran lawmaker announced he was retiring and not seeking another term in Harrisburg.

Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Lehman Township, accepted three donations at $500 apiece. One came from Cabot Oil and Gas on April 22, 2009; another was from EXCO Resources PAC on Nov. 19, 2008; and on April, 22, 2009, she accepted one from NFG PA PAC.

Browning said that as pressure from the public is placed on officials to tax the industry and approve more regulations, the elected officials at all levels of government, even those in non-leadership positions, will begin to see the money.

“I will predict that as there are more votes and as drilling expands, the money will come,” Browning said.

It will not head to Baker anymore.

The senator, who is seeking her second term in office this year, said, “Because of the sensitivity of the issues revolving around gas drilling, I am not asking for contributions from the gas drilling interests, nor am I accepting them.”

Barry Kauffman, executive director for Pennsylvania Common Cause, said the report illustrates the “power of political money in the governing process.” He said that as discussions about securing access to state forest land for drilling and severance taxes on natural gas production have popped up the past two years, lobbyist and campaign contribution spending have increased. The results have been no taxes have been approved and the state leased state land for drillers.

Baker said that she votes in response to her constituents, not her contributors.

“My legislative decision-making takes into account a variety of factors, but campaign contributions are never one of them. If anyone who contributes believes they are gaining special access or assuring a result, they will be sorely disappointed. That no-connection principle applies irrespective of the size of the contribution,” Baker said.

Andrew M. Seder, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 570-829-7269.

Coyright: Times Leader

EnCana Corp. will work with WhitMar Exploration Co. in seeking gas in the Marcellus Shale in the region.

By Rory Sweeneyrsweeney@timesleader.com
Staff Writer

EnCana Corp., perhaps the largest natural-gas producer in North America, has chosen Luzerne County as its entry point into the Marcellus Shale, thanks to an exploratory agreement with WhitMar Exploration Co.

WhitMar, a Denver-based exploratory company, has already leased about 25,000 acres in Columbia and Luzerne counties, including in Fairmount, Ross, Lake, Dallas, Lehman, Jackson, Huntington, Union, Hunlock and the northwest corner of Plymouth townships.

However, it doesn’t have the resources to develop the entire leasehold, so it went looking for a partner. It found EnCana, a Calgary-based company with U.S. headquarters in Denver that produced 1.4 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in 2008, according to its Web site. For comparison, Chesapeake Energy, another industry leader with a local presence, produced 839.5 billion cubic feet that year, according to its 2008 annual report.

Spokesman Doug Hock said EnCana has no other interest in the Marcellus Shale, a ribbon of gas-laden rock about a mile underground that stretches from upstate New York into Virginia but centers on Pennsylvania.

The agreement, however, only commits EnCana to the two exploratory wells WhitMar has agreed in its leases to create, Hock said. “Further activity will really depend on the results of the first two wells,” he said. “The first couple wells that we’re drilling are really to prove it up and ensure that we have viable program there.”

Both wells, while exploratory, will also be put into production, he said, though it’s unclear where pipelines will be installed to connect the wells to regional gas lines.

The deal gives EnCana 75 percent interest in the leasehold and control as the operator, according to WhitMar spokesman Brad Shepard. “Being an exploration company, we’re a small company,” he said. “At least in the Marcellus, we get a partner to develop it with.”

He said there were several companies interested, but that EnCana was “the best fit” thanks to similar interests in testing, drilling and size of the project.

Both companies are also interested in increasing the acreage in the leasehold, he said. Within the area the current lease encompasses, there are perhaps 25,000 to 30,000 acres that aren’t leased, Shepard said. “What we’re trying to do now is basically trying to infill all the land that we have now,” he said.

According to Hock, EnCana, whose business is currently 80 percent gas production, is in the process of splitting the company into two “pure plays” to “enhance the value” of each: EnCana, which would focus entirely on gas, and Cenovus Energy Inc. to oversee its oil-sands operations in Canada.

“We’re in that process right now,” Hock said. “The deal is expected to close at the end of the month.”

EnCana slid on the New York Stock Exchange this week, from $59.40 per share on Monday to $56.11 on Friday.

Both companies are also interested in increasing the acreage in the leasehold.

Copyright: Times Leader