PA Charges Cabot with Tainting Water in Dimock
October 29, 2010
DEP pledges public water for Dimock
James Northrup Refutes Cabot Denials:
———- Forwarded message ———-
From: <jamesherman@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Oct 4, 2010 at 11:07 AM
Subject: [sustainableotsego] James Northrup on Cabot Violations and NYS regs
To: sustainableotsego@lists.riseup.net
1. The Cabot denial fails to address the majority of the Pa DEP complaints –
most of which were surface problems – ie. spills.
Over a third of Cabot’s 62 Dimock wells had spills. Cabot’s PR piece does not
address any of them in detail.
Spills are the most likely source of water pollution. So worthy of being
addressed by Cabot as they were by the Pa DEP citations.
Instead Cabot focuses on the gassing of the 10 local water wells – and it does
this with “affidavits” from local residents and rhetorical denials.
It goes into great length to deny that one of the water wells did not
“fountain” or “explode” when the Cabot frack was put on nearby.
2. Cabot has already plugged, capped and abandoned 3 of the 8 wells that
allegedly gassed nearby water wells.
This impairs Cabot’s ability to prove that they were not a problem. It
destroys the evidence.
Leaving the Pa DEP report on the wells as the only independent source of
information as to whether the wells failed to hold pressure.
By plugging them, Cabot has effectively admitted they were a problem – before
denying in ads that they had any problems.
3. Cabot does not offer any evidence that the wells didn’t fail. The Pa DEP
cited the Cabot wells for leaking – Cabot does not prove they did not.
The Pa DEP fine specifically cited the wells for elevated leak gauge pressures
– the gauge that indicates a leak in the casing/ cement. . .
Cabot offers nothing in its denials to prove that the wells were not leaking.
No engineering report on the leak gauge pressure readings.
It just denies it rhetorically – “They were real good wells. Honest. ” Good
luck with that with a jury.
Some suggestions for NYS
1. Test water wells before drilling begins – particularly for thermogenic
methane
2. Enforce well casing/ cementing standards that are in line with the frack
pressures involved. Spot check leak gauges during fracks.
3. No wells permitted without first identifying the final disposition of the
flowback wastewater.
“Recycled” is not an answer – because that is not final disposition, that is
just delaying disposal or treatment.
If an operator says they are going to “recycle their flowback” they are dodging
their responsibility to get rid of it safely – in a disposal well.
4. Scrap the dsGEIS and start over
Pa. DEP Targets Texas Driller For Tainted Water
by The Associated Press Sept. 30, 2010
Pennsylvania’s top environmental regulator says the state will sue a Houston-based drilling company unless it agrees to pay nearly $12 million to extend a public water line to at least 18 residents whose water wells have been contaminated with methane gas.
Environmental Secretary John Hanger accused Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. on Thursday of reneging on its promises to the residents of Dimock, a small town in Susquehanna County, where tainted wells have raised concerns nationwide about the environmental and health consequences of gas drilling.
No Guarantee of Aquifer Safety: On Thursday, DEP said it would spend about $10.5 million to provide safe water for the affected Dimock residents, connecting their homes to a municipal water supply in Montrose, about six miles away. The residents balked at an earlier fix that would have placed large, whole-house water treatment systems in each of the 14 affected homes.
DEP chief John Hanger told The Associated Press that the connection to public water is “the best, and really only, solution” and that if Cabot balks at paying the tab, the state will pay for the work itself _ then go after Cabot for the money.
Officials and residents had discussed another option _ drilling a well or wells and piping that water to the homes _ but Hanger said it was dropped because “we don’t believe that will ensure a permanent, safe supply of water.”
A person who took part in the discussions said Hanger told residents the entire aquifer might be polluted by gas drilling operations.
“He said, ‘I cannot guarantee that there is any water in the aquifer that is clean today, that will be clean next week, that will be clean six months after the whole system is put in, because of the drilling activity and the damage to the aquifer.’ It was repeated twice,” said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a private meeting.
Later Tuesday, Hanger denied through a spokeswoman making the statement. DEP spokeswoman Helen Humphries said Hanger believes the threat of stray gas migration is the chief problem with drilling new water wells.
“We want to ensure there’s not a chance for methane gas to migrate into the water wells. The best way of doing that is to install a water line to provide public water,” she said.
GDACC 
