Gas Drilling Bad For Business in Bradford County, PA

A water tanker spews dust as it drives along North Street recently.  Jackie Vanderpool says some of the customers at her hair styling business are reluctant to venture out in the dust after an appointment.
Photo: The Rocket-Courier, Wyalusing, PA

Road construction and heavy truck traffic on North Street in Terry Township have not been kind to Jackie Vanderpool and her business.  Road work has hurt her business immensely she says.  Other small business owners have experienced similar problems- lost business.

Vanderpool says that the entrance to her salon used to be level with the road, but now there is a steep incline to traverse in order to get to her walkway.  Some of her elderly clients have a lot of trouble now, and they are afraid of falling.  She says,

All I want is for it to be fixed somehow.  I worry about my customers falling down and hurting themselves.

Customers have started calling the salon to see if road conditions are good or bad. Roads being worked on are sometimes closed off. Vanderpool has asked the construction company if her customers can be allowed to go through to get to her salon. Some of her clients just want their hair cut instead of the usual wash, set, and style. They feel like it is futile to get their hair styled only to go outside and be enveloped in dust.

It's sometimes so thick you can't even see across the street.

While it is nice that the construction workers have offered to come and help customers get back to their cars safely, that solution seems undesirable. Who wants to have a sweaty, road crew member in full battle array take a hold of your arm?

Vanderpool told the reporter, Cain Chamberlin, that it takes her two or three weeks to make the same amount of money that she used to make in only one week.

LINK

DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY!

In memory of Karen Korell

SPLASHDOWN

1944-2010

POLL: Do You Favor Natural Gas Drilling In Pennsylvania?

Well pad on Moody Road in Bradford County, PA
Photo: Carol Manuel

Please vote today!   Perhaps we can't stop the moving train, but we can make our opinion heard. The deadline for this poll has been extended.

DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY!

In memory of Karen Korell

1944-2010

DEP Investigating Source of Methane Bubbles In Susquehanna River

The French Azilum United Methodist Church
Located on the Susquehanna River, French Azilum, Bradford County, PA
Photo credit:  Carol Manuel

By Feed: PA Environment Digest in Gas Industry
Tue, 09/07/2010 - 16:02

The Department of Environmental Protection is continuing to investigate the source of stray methane gas detected in the Susquehanna River and at six private water wells in Wilmont Township, Bradford County, late last week. "Chesapeake Energy has been working at the direction of DEP to determine the source or
sources of the stray gas," said DEP Secretary John Hanger.

"Gas migration is a serious, potentially dangerous problem. Chesapeake must stop the gas from migrating."

Chesapeake has six Marcellus Shale gas wells located on the Welles well pads one three and four, located two to three miles northwest of the Susquehanna River. These wells are believed to be the source of stray gas that was detected on August 4 at a residence located on Paradise Road in Terry Township.

DEP issued a notice of violation to Chesapeake and required it to provide and implement a plan to remediate. Progress has been made, but, to date, this violation has not yet been fully resolved. While neither DEP nor Chesapeake have been able to conclusively show that the Welles wells are the source, DEP believes that they are the most likely source.

The wells were drilled between Dec. 2009 and March of this year; however the wells have not been fractured or "fracked" and are not producing Marcellus gas. For that reason, DEP believes that any stray gas migrating from these wells is not from the Marcellus Shale formation, but from a more shallow rock formation.

Chesapeake has screened 26 residences within a one-half mile radius of the river and found six water wells to have elevated levels of methane. Chesapeake monitored each of the houses served by an impacted water well and found no indication of methane gas in the homes.

On September 3, high levels of methane were detected in the crawl space under a seasonal residence. Emergency responders were contacted to ventilate below the home and gas and electric utilities were shut off to eliminate any potential for ignition.

Chesapeake has equipped water wells with high levels of methane with ventilation systems and installed five methane monitors in the homes associated with the impacted wells. Additionally, Chesapeake has provided potable water to the effected residents. No residents have been evacuated from their homes.

DEP first received information about water bubbles in the Susquehanna River late  on September 2, with additional reports received the next morning of bubbling in two private drinking water wells nearby. In response, DEP sent two teams of inspectors to investigate the source of stray methane gas on September 3.
One team of DEP inspectors went to the Susquehanna River near to Sugar Run where bubbling had been reported. DEP collected samples of the gas for isotopic analysis which is used to identify the source. Analysis of the lab results will be complete within 2 weeks.

Biogenic methane gas is formed at shallow depths from the natural organic decomposition of waste, such as one would find in swamp gas. Thermogenic methane gas is produced in deeper geologic formations and is the gas typically developed for economic purposes.

Both DEP and Chesapeake have taken gas samples from the water well heads and the natural gas wells. The results will help to determine if the source of the stray gas detected at the river and in the water wells is the Welles wells.

Anyone who notices unusual bubbling in surface or well water should notify DEP immediately by calling 570-327-3636.

LINK

Also click here to read the Chesapeake Bay Foundation blog.

DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY!

In memorium

Karen Korell

1944-2010

Gas Bubbles in the Susquehanna River

Gas was seen bubbling in the Susquehanna River on Thursday, September 2nd near Sugar Run in Bradford County, PA.  The PA DEP came to take water samples Wednesday.  Chesapeake Energy has several gas wells nearby.

Video: David Keeler, The Rocket-Courier, Wyalusing, PA

DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY!

In memory of Karen Korell

1944-2010

Towanda Creek in Monroeton, PA, Is Looking Shallow

Don Williams standing in Towanda Creek

Photo Credit: The Susquehanna River Sentinel

Does this water look like it's five feet deep?

This from The Susquehanna River Sentinel:

According to the USGS website - that's how deep the water is right where I'm standing. Click here  for back-up. The USGS has been contacted about this and has done nothing. The SRBC is allowing water to be taken from this stream based upon totally erroneous data. Does anyone have a clue? Does anyone care?

Who is taking water from this creek?  The gas drilling industry.  Will the water taken ever be useable for any purpose again?  Most of it won't, and it will never return to the hydrologic cycle.

DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY!

In memory of Karen Korell

1944-2010

SPLASHDOWN Water Drops: Karen Korell's Artistry

Here are some of the little water drops which Karen Korell designed and drew.  Karen died August 30, 2010.  We will all miss her very much.  Her water drops were very unique and were just one example of her creativity and her passion for the environment and public health.

We need clean water.

The gas industry is exempt from The Safe Drinking Water Act

Dirty water cannot be washed.

Can you light your tap water on fire?  Some people can.

Karen fought hard for passage of the FRAC Act.  It is still unpassed.

DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY!

Gas Bubbling in Susquehanna River in Sugar Run, Bradford County, PA

A man cutting weeds along the riverbank spotted small streams of bubbles coming from the Susquehanna River near his Sugar Run home today.  Read how he was able to light a water sample on fire.  As neighbors gathered along the riverbank, they talked about other problems they have been having with their water.  One resident said,

If it's coming up through the river, it could be coming up other places, too.

Read the whole story here.

Sugar Run, Bradford County, PA

[see red star]

DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY!

In Memoriam: Karen Korell

Karen Korell

January 14, 1944- August 30, 2010

Karen Korell, artist, activist, blogger, dear friend to many, died on Monday, August 30, 2010, at her home in Towanda, PA.  She had a blog called SPLASHDOWN which she dedicated to the detrimental effects of natural gas drilling in Bradford County, PA.  She was passionately dedicated to this issue.  Her presence will be deeply missed.  Karen, your spirit will live in us.  Thank you for all your tireless efforts on behalf of people, animals, and our fragile planet.

Visit her blog.  Leave a comment if you wish.

At the end of every blog post, Karen would write:

DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY!

Chapman Township (PA) Zoning Board Resigns: Gas Drilling Issues Cited

Boating on the Western Branch Susquehanna River

My hat is off to these three zoning board members in Chapman Township, PA!  Thank you for standing up for the safety of your citizens and the protection of the environment.
Act of defiance

All three Chapman Zoning Hearing Board members resign in protest to water withdrawal

August 27, 2010 - By SCOTT JOHNSON - sjohnson@lockhaven.com

NORTH BEND - In a stunning move Thursday night, all three members of the Chapman Township Zoning Hearing Board resigned minutes before a special hearing to allow a natural gas company to withdraw hundreds of thousands of gallons of water daily from the West Branch of the Susquehanna River.

The move left most of the approximately two dozen people at the municipal building speechless, and further drags out the seemingly-endless process by Andarko E&PA Co. LP to acquire a special exception to withdraw up to 720,000 gallons of water daily from the river near Gold Star Mothers Bridge.

They sought, but the zoning hearing board denied, a special exception to the Agricultural-Forest District to allow the water-pumping and hauling operation. The property is owned by Bob Maguire and would be leased by Anadarko. The parties have secured a permit from the Susquehanna River Basin Commission to withdraw water at the site, but with limitations. Also, the township planning commission previously recommended the operation be approved, but with limitations.

About 10 minutes after the scheduled 6 p.m. start to the hearing last night, township Solicitor Frank Miceli addressed the crowd, holding three letters in his hand. The letters were, individually, resignations by board members Chairman John P. Rathmell Jr., Alice Tarr and John Drake, and each was turned in about a half-hour before the start of the hearing, leaving officials no chance to have alternates fill their places. Drake had been serving as an alternate for Dennis Trout.

"I've been doing this for 20 years never (have I seen something like this),"

said board Solicitor Stephen Smith after the hearing. The three were ordered by Clinton County President Judge J. Michael Williamson earlier this month to grant Anadarko the special exemption, saying the board's decision to deny the request in May was "arbitrary, capricious (and)... an abuse of discretion and error by law." Instead of going against their wishes - and instead of being held in contempt of court - Rathmell, Tarr and Drake resigned their seats.

Smith said he met the three at Dremel's gas station at 5:30 p.m. and was handed three, sealed envelopes addressed to Miceli. Miceli opened the letters, which turned out to be resignations, mere moments before the scheduled 6 p.m. start, forcing the adjournment due to a lack of a quorum.

Tarr's letter said that, since she was being forced to go against the wishes of herself and the community - and due to the risk of environmental harm - "I can no longer serve and, therefore, resign my position as of 5:30 p.m."

Drake's letter stated,

"After much thought, I cannot morally position our citizens' safety, health and welfare in jeopardy. Therefore, please be advised, as of Aug. 26, 2010, at 5:30 p.m., I am resigning as alternate of the Chapman Township Zoning Hearing Board."

Rathmell's letter gave no reason for his resignation.

"Nobody knew this was going to occur," leaving no time to find alternate members, Miceli said. "I think the only thing we can do is say there can't be a meeting tonight because there's no zoning hearing board members," he said, noting the township supervisors may appoint new members at their next meeting on Sept. 7.

Anadarko spokesperson Mary Wolf commended the board members for their concerns about the safety of the public, saying her firm will enact any measures either the board or the judge will impose to ensure the public's safety and "make the road safer than it is right now." "We will just let the judicial process play out," she said. "That's the beauty of our democratic system, that we have the checks and balances with the judicial branch, with the citizens, the zoning hearing board and the planning commission. It worked. It's just taking a little longer."

After three hearings that spanned three months, the zoning hearing board unanimously denied Anadarko's request in May, saying the water-withdrawal operation will cause a travel hazard on Route 120 and negatively impact the environment and property values. Earlier this month, Judge Williamson reversed that decision and ordered the board to approve the request with several conditions, including:

n No vehicles associated with the site shall be parked along Route 120 or by the Fish and Boat Commission access road from Route 120 to the river.

n The intake pipe shall be marked and flagged at least 50 feet in all directions with appropriate warning signs posted.

n Anadarko remains subject to SRBC regulations regarding river water levels during pumping activity.

n Anadarko will work with the township to request PennDOT install a traffic control device or sign to alert oncoming traffic near the entrance of the site of slow-moving trucks.

n No hauling of water will be scheduled or performed during the Hyner Mountain Challenge, the first weekend of fishing season, the three-day bear season and for a five-day period commencing the Monday after Thanksgiving Day of each year.

n The perimeter of the facility shall be fenced to a high of six feet with a gate regulating access.

n No more than seven vehicles capable of storing or hauling water shall be on the site at any time.

DEMAND ACCOUNTABILTY!

Water Well Driller Questions Cheaspeake Energy's Theory in PA

Water extraction facility in Ulster, PA.   These trucks are sucking up the water from the Susquehanna River.

Photo credit:  Carol Manuel

Letter to the Editor, Aug. 29, 2010
Published: August 29, 2010 (The Towanda Daily Review)

Loss of one resource for another?

EDITOR: Being a licensed Pennsylvania water well driller for the past 40 years and being born and raised in the Towanda area, I feel I must respond to the stories I keep reading about the gas drilling companies shifting the blame of water well problems to poor well construction and local water well drilling.

One such story was in this week's Sunday Review (Aug. 22, 2010). And before I begin I want it known that any subsequent mention of the Chesapeake company shows no hostility towards them or their representatives. With mutual respect and dual acknowledgement of experience, I do believe that natural gas extraction and water well drilling can harmoniously coincide in Northeast Pennsylvania.

First of all, if a water well is not constructed properly, there are problems from day one and not 10, 20 even 50 years later. Referring to Sunday's article, Brian Grove of Chesapeake stated he does not believe, the facts, implicate its drilling operations is causing the water issues at hand. We have not spoken with any of the Paradise Road residents, but, the fact is, we have recently received many calls from local homeowners regarding disturbances in their water wells that began after nearby gas drilling activity had started. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to recognize the time line coincidence and figure out gas drilling activity probably has caused these water well issues.

Again referring to the Sunday article, Mr. Grove wrote, affected water wells are drilled into shallow aquifers. Most of our calls pertain to rock wells, but our answer to his comment is, this is Pennsylvania, not Texas! In many local areas, residents depend on the shallow aquifers because the deeper water is salty, or sulfury, and not compatible to human consumption. What a shame to disturb their only potable water resource.

And Mr. Grove's insinuation that poor water well construction could be causing current water well issues is a direct disrespect to me, my father before me, and other local reputable water well drillers. Speaking for myself and my father's memory, we have drilled thousands of water wells during decades of business in Northeast Pennsylvania. Our continued good reputation is testimony that we do successfully construct quality water wells. I invite Mr. Grove to call me to discuss well construction but not to come into my hometown and discredit my work. Mr. Grove stated that Chesapeake has offered to drill replacement water wells of "superior construction standards." A recent telephone conversation with Chesapeake representative Larry Wooten makes me question what he means by "superior construction standards?"

Mr. Wooten called in regards to me drilling a replacement well on my neighbor's property. He quizzed me about my practices and prices. When I told him I use a steel drive shoe on the bottom of my casing to seal contaminates from entering the well, he told me they never use them and thought this contaminant seal was an unnecessary added cost. Again, this is Pennsylvania, not Texas. I believe embedding a steel drive shoe into rock formations is necessary to superiorly construct a Pennsylvania water well.

To end, we believe Northeast Pennsylvania is both blessed and cursed by the Marcellus Shale mineral deposits which lie underneath our homes. The excitement of gas lease funding and large drilling rigs coming to our area has been replaced by damaged roads; delayed travel and traffic snarls; streams sucked dry by convoys of trucks, driven by persons foreign to our area, who may skillfully drive Texas flatlands but have difficulty maneuvering our hilly serpentine roadways; residential sweet water invaded by methane that is blowing off well caps; local families displaced by gas workers; and other changes affecting our work and lifestyles.

 Unlike cautious New York state, we think Pennsylvania jumped the gun and has allowed natural gas drilling companies into our area too soon, in too large of numbers, and with too few regulations in place. The saying, you don't know the worth of the water until the well is dry, sounds like a reality to us. Our drinking water is being affected and millions of gallons of water are being extracted from our streams, rivers and municipal wells with insufficient recharge. Well, Sen. Casey, we agree it is high time to protect our water, our people and our future.

Thomas and Loraine Cummings Water Well Drilling
Towanda

The letter can be viewed as it appeared in the Towanda Daily Review here.

A Must See: Listen to James Northrup of Sustainable Otsego (NY)

James Northrup worked in the gas industry for thirty years. He's from Texas, but summers in Cooperstown, NY.  He's concerned about hydrofracking in NY State.  He says the gas industry could use non-toxic fracking chemicals, or at least non-carcinogenic chemicals, but they don't because they don't have to.  He talks here about four things which need changing in NY State:

1) Require a severance (production) tax like almost every drilling state does.
2) Separate the agency that issues drilling permits from the agency that serves as a watchdog for the environment.  The NY DEC currently does both.
3) Get rid of compulsory integration which he says is just wrong.
4) Do something about the vulnerability caused by the ownership of NY State surface water.  The state owns almost all lakes in NY State.  Municipalities have absolutely no control over water use.

Northrup says that NY State law is antiquated and completely inadequate for today's technology and the geology of New York State.

DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY!

Marcellus Shale: Stream Relocation in Wyoming County, PA

Chief Oil and Gas spokesperson tells Wyoming County residents about the wonders of natural gas drilling.  Notice the poster:  A Clean Source of Energy!  They're kidding, of course.

Wow!  Look what's going on in Wyoming County, PA!  They're getting their bridges ready for those gigantic gas drilling-related trucks.  And what's this?  RELOCATING A STREAM??????  Say what?  And one more thing:  What is a "temporary" wetland impact? Sounds strange to me. Can any impact be truly temporary for sure?

From today's PA DEP update:

Authorization ID: 832039

Permit number: E66-147

Site: PA DOT WYOMING CNTY RD SYS

Client: PA DOT ENG DIST 4 0

Authorization type: Water Obstruction & Encroachment Pmt

Application type: New

Authorization is for: FACILITY

Date received: 03/26/2010

Status: Pending

Sub-Facilities for Authorization

Sub-Facility ID Sub-Facility Name Description eMap PA Location

1019098 0.05 AC WETL IMPACT Wetland Impact
1019099 0.22 AC TEMP WETL IMPACT Temporary Wetland Impact 

1012702 SR 0029 SEG 0050 OFF 0000 - EXISTING BRIDGE Bridge 

1012701 SR 0029 SEG 0050 OFF 0000 - PROPOSED BRIDGE Bridge

1012797 SR 0029 STREAM RELOCATION Stream Relocation

The late Splashdown blogger would end every post with this:

DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY!

Thanks, SPLASHDOWN, for all your hard work on behalf of people and the planet.

Rest in Peace, Dear Friend

SPLASHDOWN's Last Blog Entry

SPLASHDOWN Karen Korell with her beloved dog Hattie

Karen died at her home in Towanda, PA, August 30, 2010.

Half-polluted or Half-protected?

Credit: Marquil

empirewire.com

DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY!

Natural Gas Drilling: Another Truck Overturns

Photo Credit:  Jason Fox, The Leader

What is toxic drilling waste doing being transported from Pennsylvania to New York State anyway?  As a NYS resident, I do not want PA toxic waste dumped in NYS.  For that matter, I do not want toxic drilling waste dumped anywhere.

Early in the afternoon of August 30th, a dump truck carrying gas well drill cuttings bound for a landfill crashed, spilling its toxic cargo over an embankment to the edge of a stream which feeds into the Conhocton River near where it meets the Chemung River.  The load of drilling mud was mixed with sawdust, as is the custom, to solidify the "stuff."  What ended up where it shouldn't have- these drill cuttings- is the mess that comes up out of the wellbore during drilling, some of it consisting of materials from deep within the earth.  This very gross-looking stuff contains radioactive materials and a lot of toxic chemicals as they are mixed in the drilling process.  This is a very serious accident.  Sadly these kinds of accidents are becoming more and more numerous. 

Read the story here.

Photo credit:  Jason Fox

Natural Gas Industry: Is Chesapeake Energy Just a Good Neighbor?

Photo credit: Frank Finan

Chesapeake Energy has contracted out road work in Bradford County, PA. Is this just a generous kindness on their part?  No.  They decided that it would be cheaper better to upgrade the roads for their heavy trucks now rather than demolish the roads and then have to continuously fix them.  Most of these back roads, actually none of them, were ever meant for heavy trucks the likes of these.  The bridges are having to be strengthened, too.  You will see signs saying, "Ten ton limit" everywhere.  Even empty, most of these vehicles weigh three times that.

Read more here.

We Are All One

Check out this link from Global Community:

http://www.globalcommunity.org/flash/wombat.shtml

Natural Gas Drilling: A Little Leak in PA

A local observer reports: "This is on PA Route 29 about a half mile south of the village in Dimock, PA. The waste pit liner at Cabot's Hibbard site had a leak in the liner, and the waste made it's way down to Route 29. The leak was discovered in the early spring and is still being cleaned up. What ever comes down the hill from where the pit was (up the hill behind the house) gets pumped in a waste truck and hauled away. This is what I saw on Monday. I went by on Tuesday, and the hose was repaired."

This incident is more than likely way below the radar screen. But it is so typical of the things that happen in the gas drilling process. I was at this very spot a while back and saw this machine and the hoses. It looked to me like there was a drainage ditch right there by the driveway. So the fluids leaking, spurting, out of this hose were going somewhere where they shouldn't be going. Will people or animals be hurt?

Water Tanker Truck Rolls Over in Asylum Township (PA)

[Photo Credit: James Loewenstein, Towanda Daily Review]

Yet another accident involving a water tanker truck has occurred in Bradford County, PA.  Last night a Towanda man says he could easily have been killed when a huge water tanker truck lost control of his vehicle about 6:30 p.m., causing the truck to roll over as it came out of a sharp right-hand curve, narrowly missing this man who was driving a minivan.  The truck had the words "Excalibur Energy Service, Inc." on it. (Excalibur Energy is a firm out of Dallas, TX.)  The driver of the minivan said it was the scariest situation he has ever been in, according to the article in the Towanda Daily Review. He had to quickly speed up and veer off the road to avoid being hit.  Had there been a guard rail there, he thinks he would have been killed. 

Read the whole article here.

Note from this blogger:  I have driven on this road and turned at this very curve quite a few times.  I can attest to the fact that it is an extremely sharp curve, and I can also attest to the fact that these truck drivers do not handle their vehicles in a safe manner much of the time.  It is very dangerous to be on the road with these trucks.  A couple of times I have become really alarmed and thought I might have to drive off the road to avoid them.  And in Asylum Township, driving off the road often means driving into a ditch.  These are narrow rural roads, and many of them are all torn up from the heavy gas drilling trucks, making it even more dangerous to drive around there.

DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY!

BE CAREFUL ON THE ROADS OF BRADFORD COUNTY, PA

BIG GAS TRUCKS ARE EVERYWHERE AND THEY DRIVE TOO FAST

Wyoming County, PA, Commissioners Concerned About Gas Industry Incidents

This truck is spraying something on a dirt road in Bradford County.  Mr. Dirt, the company that owns this truck, said it was spraying sodium chloride.

[Photo: Carol Manuel]

The Wyoming County EMS Director Gene Dziak says there has been a five-fold increase in gas industry related incidents in the past month.  These include spills from trucks as well as accidents on well pads. What is being spilled on roads is not always easy to identify.  Dziak also said that, unlike other utilities and mining endeavors, the natural gas industry is not regulated by anyone.  He wants more regulation.

Read the article from the Rocket-Courier, Wyalusing, PA,  here.

DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY!

WHAT ARE YOU SPILLING ON OUR ROADS, MR. GAS DRILLER?

Chesapeake Energy Cited by DEP For Methane Contamination in Bradford County, PA

 

[Footage from WNEP-TV, Scranton, PA] 

A few residents in Bradford County are dealing with methane gas in their water wells. Now, state investigators are looking into whether drilling for natural gas caused the problems near Towanda. Chesapeake Energy officials said this all started almost two weeks ago so much methane gas built up in a drinking water well that the lid blew off. The gas company is now investigating, along with state environmental crews, after the same gas was found in other wells at neighboring homes.

According to its website, Chesapeake Energy is one of the largest natural gas producers and the largest active driller of new gas wells in the country.

On Monday, Newswatch 16 found workers monitoring gas levels at a home along Brocktown Road in Monroe Township, near Towanda. It is one of three homes officials with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection believe has been affected by methane gas problems in drinking water wells. While Chesapeake Energy has not taken responsibility for the issues, the company has hired the inspectors to find the source of methane gas. Chesapeake has even provided the homeowners with drinking water and vents for their wells.

"Concerns me, my renters, they're safe," said property owner Paul Sites. "The people Chesapeake hired are doing a good job, but they're not telling us anything." Sites owns two of the rental properties affected. He points out that Chesapeake has merely drilled three natural gas wells nearby and has not started hydraulic fracturing. If that's the source of the methane gas, Sites is worried what could happen next. "They didn't frack it yet, so that's my major concern," he says. "Now they're drilling a methane bubble down. What happens when they frack it?"

Even though the problem is confined to three properties, people who live in this area want to be assured the gas in the water well issues are not a sign of things to come. "Just waiting for Chesapeake," says Sites. "Guess they're trying to take care of the problem, but they ain't telling us nothing. That's what's scary about it. As long as they take care of the problem, we're happy about it."

A spokesperson for the DEP says Chesapeake Energy has been sent a notice of violation. That means even though the source of the methane gas in Bradford County has not been officially determined, DEP is asking the company how it plans to fix any problems at its natural gas wells.
 
Credit: Jim Hamill, WNEP-TV, Scranton, PA
 

DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY!

WE CAN'T DRINK NATURAL GAS