A Local Bradford County Citizen Speaks Out On the Downsides of Gas Drilling

Below is a letter to the Editor of The Towanda Daily Review (3/22/2010):

Another hurdle relative to the roads will be for the townships to deal with the question of how the gas pipeline crossings will be made in their townships. Townships without water, sewer, or natural gas service to their residents do not have standards already in place relative to how a road crossing will be done. Many townships will be dealing with this question, maybe COG or Bradford County Planning could provide some leadership so that the townships who would like to can all go work together to set the standards, rather than each township setting its own standards, or worse yet, having no standards at all. There is also a massive 16" fresh river water pipeline being planned to cross several counties and many townships. This water line would connect a river source like the Susquehanna to the water impoundments that are being built. The system would require booster pumps to pump the water. Private ROW agreements will be sought for this line, right now the people don't know what the going rate for such a facility should be. The water line would be buried 4 feet underground to frostproof it so building it is a major undertaking. This line would have to cross many roads to get across the many townships it will serve. The line is expected to be technically temporary but will serve for 10 years or more. I'd like to see Bradford County Planning involved in the siting of this line, rather than just finding out where it is going and putting in on the maps that they are keeping up. Engineering support for this project is contacting the townships to get copies of their ordinances which might relate to this project. No one has said how wide the clear cut for this water line will be, but between the gas gathering lines and these 16" river water lines, forest fragmentation will clearly become an issue of the future. Runoff from the deforested areas will change, and again roads will be impacted.

But worse than the road impacts is the looming potential of drinking water issues. These impacts when they occur on a house by house basis in the rural environment are shattering, since there is no infrastructure for the townships to use to supply those impacted. And what will we do if an entire town's water source became undrinkable?

DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY!