DEP Says Drilling Wastewater Agreement Includes Restrictions
Washington, PA Observer-Reporter
17 October 2009
By Bob Niedbala, Staff writer
niedbala@observer-reporter.com
A consent agreement that will allow a plant being built along the
Monongahela River near Masontown to treat Marcellus gas drilling
wastewater without removing total dissolved solids includes
restrictions on the plant's wastewater release, the state Department of
Environmental Protection said Friday.
An environmental group, Clean Water Action, announced Thursday that it
has appealed the consent agreement between DEP and Shallenberger
Construction Inc., the plant owner, to the state Environmental Hearing
Board.
The group claims the consent agreement will allow the plant to
discharge into the Mon before it has the treatment technology needed to
remove total dissolved solids from its wastewater.
The agreement gives the company three years to upgrade its treatment
technology to meet TDS removal standards; however, discharges will be
allowed from the plant prior to these upgrades, the group said.
DEP spokeswoman Helen Humphreys said Friday the department issued a
permit to the company in September 2008, prior to any problems with TDS
on the river.
A consent order was then approved in August 2009 modifying the permit
because of water quality issues on the Mon, she said.
The plant now being built will be able to discharge wastewater without
treating for TDS; however, it will only be allowed to discharge the
wastewater when levels of TDS and sulfates in the river are low, she
said. The company will be required to obtain TDS levels for the Mon
twice a day, she said.
Humphreys declined to comment on the effectiveness of the agreement on
reducing TDS levels in the river saying the matter was now before the
hearing board.
The plant proposes to discharge 500,000 gallons a day of wastewater
from Marcellus gas drilling operations.
The environmental group claims that because the plant is new DEP should
require it to treat for TDS from the start.