Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Uintah County (Utah) may violate environmental laws



"30-year practice in Uintah County may violate environmental laws: "...That's because the high-temperature water used by the county's road crews to de-ice culverts is the minimally-treated byproduct of oil and natural gas drilling, which means it can contain drilling fluid, hydrocarbons and other unknown contaminants. The county's practice — which may have been in place for as many as 30 years — was brought to the health department's attention on Jan. 10 by a homeowner near 500 West and 1500 North. The man provided Brown with video he captured of a road department employee who had just unloaded produced water into a roadside ditch. The video, obtained by the Uintah Basin Standard through a public records request, shows the homeowner climbing into the ditch and scooping out a jar full of steaming, cloudy water. It also clearly shows the door of the truck with the words "Uintah County" emblazoned on the side...The water used by the county came from ponds owned by Western Energy Operating LLC, based in Casper, Wyo., he said..."

LINK
 
Kudos to this citizen who got the contaminated water sample and made the video.

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