Landfill Rumors Concern Residents
May hold fracking waste; no permit filed
Morgantown Dominion Post
28 July 2010
By Michelle Wolford
KINGWOOD — Though no application has been filed, many Preston County
residents are concerned over rumors of a landfill, near Bruceton Mills,
to hold brine left over from the process of fracturing the Marcellus
shale.
Yogesth Patel, of the West Virginia Department of Environmental
Protection (DEP), said his office — the Division of Water and Waste
Management — has talked with a Canadian firm about a landfill, but no
permit application has been filed.
And, he said, the proposal has to do with “drilling material,” not a
wastewater product. He said the company would have to receive
authorization from the Preston County Solid Waste Authority and the
State Public Service Commission before it could file for a permit with
the DEP. Public hearings would be required at each step, he said.
Fred Taylor, head of the Preston County Solid Waste Authority, said he
hasn’t heard from anyone about a permit. The group’s next meeting is at
7 p.m. Aug. 4 at the Preston County Extension office, on Court Street,
in Kingwood.
Amanda Pitzer, executive director of Friends of the Cheat, said she
received information that the facility “would serve as a disposal site
for residual brine from natural gas drilling operations.” The brine is
a byproduct of drilling in the Marcellus shale — from hydrofracturing,
or fracking.
Pitzer said she received calls about the landfill — rumored to be at
the confluence of the Big Sandy and Little Sandy rivers — from people
all over the county.
“Friends of the Cheat is concerned about this potential development,”
she said. “The Big Sandy was the first local stream successfully
restored from the impacts of abandoned mine drainage pollution. A
collaboration of partners, agencies, and individuals logged many hours
and contributed millions of dollars to bring the Sandy back.”
Pitzer said water recovered from the fracking process contains a
variety of compounds, such as benzene and diesel fuel, in addition to
high levels of salt.
“The environmental impact of these fluids is yet to be determined and
many aspects of the process [are] currently unregulated here in West
Virginia. Other pollutant threats include sediment from construction
and increased truck traffic,” she said.
Friends of the Cheat wants those concerned about the potential impact
of such a landfill “to stay informed and ask concerned individuals and
groups to stay informed and ask questions about the proposed landfill,”
Pitzer said. Though public meetings are required, “it is imperative
that the research and conversations begin now so everyone is prepared
for a healthy discussion based on facts.”