Marshall County Man Continues To Find Methane in His Water Well
Wheeling Intelligencer
30 October 2010
By Casey Junkins, Staff Writer
CAMERON - Hearing gurgles and detecting a mist coming from his
contaminated drinking water well Monday, Jeremiah Magers knew that it
was time to take action.
"I could hear the (natural) gas bubbling and see the vapor coming out.
I called 911," said the resident of a new home along Fish Creek in
Marshall County. "My water well is now a gas well."
Magers previously said his water well became contaminated with methane
- and that natural gas began bubbling in Fish Creek - shortly after
Chesapeake Energy began its hydraulic fracturing process at a
production site roughly 1,200 feet from Magers' water tank. Chesapeake
officials previously confirmed the presence of methane in Magers' water
well but denied their operations generated the gas.
Monday, however, Magers' situation seemed to take a turn for the worse.
Upon detecting vapors Monday, he called 911 to alert the Cameron
Volunteer Fire Department of his predicament.
"He definitely has a problem with methane gas," Fire Chief Brian
Marling said of Magers, though Marling noted he could not comment
further on the matter.
Marshall County Emergency Management Director Tom Hart also reported to
the scene to find the substance emitting from Magers' well.
"The fire officials believed it was gas coming out of the well," Hart
said.
In September, a Chesapeake well fire on Pleasants Ridge in Marshall
County burned for several days.
Now, in an effort to eliminate the gas from his property, Magers has
set a controlled fire in his former water well that continues to burn.
"I've got something of an eternal flame back there, even though I don't
want it," he said, trying to make light of the situation.
As the fire continues to burn, Magers is waiting for help from the West
Virginia Department of Environmental Protection's Office of Oil and
Gas, Chesapeake and his attorney, Eric Gordon.
"This did not happen until the Chesapeake well came in," Gordon said of
the natural gas contaminating Magers' well. "It would be a very unique
coincidence if there were no issues with the water well before the gas
well was put in - then, as soon as the gas well is put in, he starts
getting gas in his water well."
Gordon said he contacted Chesapeake officials to alert them of Magers'
problems, while emphasizing that oil and gas office representatives are
aware of the situation.
Magers said workers with a firm known as Science Applications
International Corp. have come to his house to examine the soil around
the water well. Representatives of this company did not return calls
seeking comment Friday.
"They said they might be here for a week or more," Magers said of the
science corporation workers.
One way or the other, Gordon said he will work to resolve the problem
for Magers, noting, "We are looking at any and all legal measures we
can take because the gas is clearly getting worse."
Oil and gas office Chief James Martin previously confirmed his
department has investigated the source of Magers' gas problems, but he
said the representatives were unable to draw a conclusion regarding the
source of the seeping methane.
Magers previously said an oil and gas official told him the release of
the methane was probably due to coal mining that had taken place in the
area.
However, a report compiled and signed by EEI Geophysical Earth Science
Consultants Adjuster John Hempel notes, "It is likely that the cause of
the gas venting at this home originates ... with the new oil and gas
drilling around the home."