Sunday, May 10, 2009

Trouble on Hedgehog Lane

Thanks to Ohio-based Schreiner Oil Company, at least seven Hedgehog Lane residents in Bradford Township, PA, (Mckean County) have tainted well water. The company is not disputing the damage or its responsibility for it. Cause: recent oil and gas drilling in the area. Schreiner has been ordered to restore clean water to the affected households. Meanwhile the families are being supplied with bottled water. This has reportedly been going on for weeks.

I'm wondering how one takes a bath or shower with bottled water
...

One family, the Baileys, chose to move out of their home seven weeks ago. It remains to be seen how much longer they will be in exile away from their home. Bradford Township Supervisors' Chairman Don Cummins believes that the best way to resolve the dilemma is to hook up the homes to city water "in case any further issues arise with future drilling." Getting funding for such a project is a major issue which government officials are working on. Further complicating the situation and the cost of bringing city water to Hedgehog Lane is the high elevations. Water pressure would be very limited to higher-up houses. Cummins says the residents definitely want city water.
They don't want to deal with the taste and the smell and the methane gas (infiltration)- they're just living that every day.
Meanwhile the drilling is expected to continue. Schreiner has plans for more wells in the area. The residents of Hedgehog Lane will just have to wait. Disrupted lives is just the price we pay for the mistakes and industrial accidents of the big gas companies.

Read more about the story here.
Here is the news release from the PA DEP regarding this incident.

DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY!

1 comment:

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