Articles Below From the Ridgway Record 11/15/11 & 11/17/11

November 15, 2011

 

Photo by Gian DeLoia – The Johnsonburg Municipal Authority review Tuesday night’s agenda.

JOHNSONBURG – In an attempt to bore a pipe under Silver Creek, the Hunt Marcellus Operating Company leaked a large amount of bentonite into the reservoir at about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday morning.
Hunt district superintendent Mark Wagley and project manager Gordon Bryksa attended Tuesday night’s Johnsonburg Municipal Authority meeting to report the incident.
“We were boring under Silver Creek [Tuesday] and we had an incident that affected your reservoir,” Wagley said. “In short, we had a communication from our bore hole, which is 45 feet deep to the surface and we were pumping fresh water and bentonite gel to do the drill.
“Our water and bentonite came to surface and flowed down Silver Creek and into your reservoir. We used 10,000 gallons of fresh water and 96 bags of bentonite.”
According to Wagley, bentonite is a gel mined in Oklahoma and is commonly used in the drilling process. Wagley said it does not contain any chemicals and would not negatively impact the quality of the water other than its turbidity.

November 17, 2011

 

Photo by Gian DeLoia – The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and the Department of Environmental Protection met upstream from the reservoir along Silver Creek Thursday in response to a horizontal-boring incident where bentonite spilled and flowed into the reservoir.

JOHNSONBURG – The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and the Department of Environmental Protection [DEP] responded to a site along Silver Creek, half of a mile from the reservoir Thursday morning, 48 hours after the Hunt Marcellus Operating Company reportedly leaked a large amount of bentonite into the stream, quickly making its way into the reservoir.
DEP spokesman Kevin Sunday reported an increased amount of sediment in the reservoir and a temporary spike in the turbidity following the incident.
Sunday said there was not an impact on the quality of the drinking water.
“There was a brief spike and it has gone down to normal,” Sunday said. “There are no health risks associated with the incident.”
Sunday said DEP will continue to monitor the operation of the site and assist the Johnsonburg Municipal Authority with any issues.
Hunt has halted work on the pipeline and will reroute away from the spot of the incident.
Johsonburg Municipal Authority chairman Eric Poague said the quality of the drinking water has not changed.
“The filters are doing what they are supposed to be doing,” Poague said. “The reservoir is still turbid, but the filters are getting the turbidity out. The quality of the water going to our customers is the same as it was before the spill.”
Poague said most of the leaked bentonite has been removed and cleanup efforts will continue.
According to Hunt superintendent Mark Wagley, workers used 96 50-pound bags of bentonite and 10,000 gallons of fresh water to bore a 1,200-foot pipeline 45 feet beneath the stream.
The pipeline is part of a large network of pipelines designed to supply water to drilling sites.