New drilling concerns in Brockway

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Water stopped flowing briefly to a Brockway Borough Municipal Authority-owned artesian well Thursday when drilling by Flatirons Development pierced the aquifer.
Authority President Mike Arnold said Monday that Flatirons Development started to drill and set the first well casing last week on the borough's watershed.
Arnold said when the well was drilled and cased, the water came back.
The authority and Flatirons reached an out-of-court settlement last month after the authority sought an injunction to stop Marcellus Shale drilling on its waterhsed. The agreement outlines Flatirons' obligations if its operations interrupt the availability of water or contaminate the supply. It does not preclude drilling.
"I take it then there's a direct link between the drilling and the water supply," PJ Piccirillo, a member of the Brockway Area Clean Water Alliance, said.
Alliance member Bruce Miller asked if everytime Flatirons drills a new well this is likely to happen.
"I would assume so. I see no reason why not," Arnold said.
"My concern is two things; that someday Brockway doesn't have any water and that the water is contaminated to the point the town goes away at that point," Miller said.
Solicitor Ed Ferraro asked Miller if he really thinks the board doesn't have the same concerns.
Miller and Piccirillo said members of the alliance will not make a habit of coming to the meetings and asking a slew of questions. They were there to gather information so they could become active.
"We're hoping the public will become more active in a broader base, because I'm not sure they're aware of the things that happen, like the other day," Piccirillo said.
Arnold said the DEP investigated the incident Friday.
"They acknowledged the well pierced the aquifer and affected the well," Arnold said. "Their concern was that it was contaminated, but they tested it and it's all right."
Authority member Tim Grieneisen said the representatives from DEP never doubted the authority's well and the Marcellus well were connected via the aquifer.
"When DEP, the overseers, come in and say they don't see a problem, then it's obvious we have a problem here," Miller said.
Miller asked if the authority has any plans to sell water to gas companies for fracking if it's requested and available.
"With Flatirons, we have an agreement that's contingent on availability of water," Arnold said. "It would be from Well 5 provided there's water coming over the spillway."
Miller said what he has read about the agreement between Flatirons and the authority also concerns him.
"In the Courier, it mentions that if the water is lost they are required to provide drinking water within 24 hours," Miller said. "People won't be too happy having to go to water buffaloes to get their water, but they (Flatirons) can probably do that."
Miller said the part of the agreement where Flatirons promises to have water pumping through the water lines within 48 hours seems unbelievable.
Arnold said he thinks their reasoning is that they will bring in a temporary water treatment plant and tie it to the line in order to fulfill that requirement.
"That's impossible," Miller said. "If they say they are going to do this, this is a lie."
Ferraro said now that it is part of the agreement, if the company doesn't come through, injunctions can be filed against them and their drilling operations will be shut down.
"Can they physically do it? I don't know, but drilling will stop if they can't and they certainly don't want that," Ferraro said.
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Reported by Katie Weidenboerner, staff writer. Email: katiew@thecourierexpress.com.