Bad News-- Moshannon SF, Clearfield County

D

double00

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Oct 12, 2006
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Word is out that a deep gas well ( Marcellus Shale drilling) in Clearfield County adjacent to the Moshannon SF has experienced a problem causing gas to escape into the air and lots of frac fluid to pour out, threatening local wild trout streams and possible drinking water sources in the area. A 1 mile radius area has been evacuated as experts attempt to cap the well and stop the flow of gas and fluid.

More here:
http://www.wjactv.com/news/23792353/detail.html


This particular well site is in position to possibly contaminate several wild trout streams and drinking water supplies! The impact begins. Lets hope they get it capped and the flow(s) stopped.
 
GDMF !!!
 
JakesLeakyWaders wrote:
GDMF !!!
Click to expand...

Gotta agree...more to come as they increase the number of sites...
 
This is just NE of SB Elliot SP. Drainage would either be Stone Run or Coldstream Run. Stone runs into Lick run before hitting the W. Br. Coldstream runs into Trout Run, which runs into the W. Br in Shawville. All 4 streams are listed on the natural reproduction list, none are class A.
 
And none will be if this gets into the streams :cry:
 
http://hosted2.ap.org/PAGRE/0a89e7b56 ... 3702347c6a52acd87f68002cf
 
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/breaking/s_684495.html

The operators hired two companies to get the well under control, and one of them dug trenches to trap the wastewater and gas before it reaches small tributaries nearby, Spadoni said. DEP is overseeing that cleanup and has an official on site. The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and county officials also were notified.

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a flight restriction in the immediate area late this morning, according to The Associated Press. The big concern was fire because the natural gas is flammable, Spadoni said. Any spark could ignite a forest fire in any of the gas-soaked areas.
Click to expand...

Let's hope this ends well. Keeping it from going directly into streams was a big plus. But I'm sure at least a minor amount soaked in, plus it sounds like areas of forest got soaked. And the well, I would think, now has a busted casing, which is the part that protect the water table area. I don't know how bad its busted or how easy and quick it would be to fix.
 
The TV station website had a crude map, which looks like the drainage might be to Stone Run, tributary to Lick Run. Lick Run is a pretty good brookie stream.

If anyone finds a link to a better map online, or knows the latitude/longitude, please let us know. It would be good to know the exact location, so we could see where it's draining too.

It's interesting that in the news reports, that they don't mention the drainage. It seems very relevant to the story.
 
BTW,
Ken Undercoffer and I have fished both Lick Run and Trout Run and had good brook trout fishing on both.

There was another problem in that area, maybe 6 months ago or so, with stuff leaking from a gas well into a spring at the head of Trout Run. A hunter found about the problem when he drank from the spring. Neither the DEP or the company knew about it until that guy reported it. Maybe that's the "monitoring program" in place?
 
Sadly, this is exactly the situation I envisioned when I first heard about this shale fracking thing. Like the Gulf Coast (maybe more) isn't bad enough? What a terrible shame. I honestly believe I've already seen the best wild trout fishing Pa has to offer.

PEASE, WAKE UP PENNSYLVANIA!!!
 
Well according to Lancaster news at 18:00 today all is contained.... Fire is out and no spill reported and no evacuations. But then again I'm not there and if anybody from the board is, let us know what is really going on. Cuz at this stage.... It's all second hand info.
 
this is only the beginning, more to come. oh yeah, it's safe, no problems, you'll never know we're here!!
yeah right. this WILL screw us over big time. wait and see.
I'd like to fish here in 20 years, but will I be able to?
 
Wjo didn't know this was going to happen!

PaulG
 
pcray1231 wrote:
I don't know how bad its busted or how easy and quick it would be to fix.
Click to expand...

One would like to think the fix and cleanup would proceed as quickly and diligently as the process of trying to get the gaseous gold from the ground. Somehow, though, I think it will not if the frackers can get away with less.
 
This was bound to happen, and the shale drilling has just begun. Maybe I'm an alarmist, but I fear we could end up in a situation similar to that along the gulf b/c of the oil spill there and what could occur here with the many wells. I agree with the "GDMF" statement.
 
I'd consider myself a conservationist, not an environmentalist, but I'm wondering if there isn't an environmentalist tactic that could be employed here.. Nothing like a little sensationalism to turn the BP Gulf situation and this blowout into fodder that would advance the cause of proceeding slowly with Marcellus permitting. If pictures of oily birds work, maybe someone could draw a similar analogy to the Marcellus. What level of catastrophe will it take to get the public and politicians' attention in our own state and how late (too late?) will that catastrophe occur?
 
I used to live in Clfd. Co. There is an aquifer that runs from Irvona in Clfd. Co. to Hastings in Cambria Co. They're going crazy in that area with this Marcellus drilling and fracking. I visited the area a month or so ago and talked to some friends and tried to tell them they may end up losing their water.

Also, there are several good trout streams in the Irvona area that are stocked with some nice fish from the Glendale Area Sportsmen's Club. There are three trout streams that empty into the Clfd.Creek at Irvona. If I remember correctly, the Clfd. Creek starts somewhere near Cresson and there is a group in that area making progress at getting it cleaned up.If they succeed, this could turn into one of the best fishing streams in the East. This could all be lost because of the drilling and fracking going on in that area.
 
If you're concerned, contact your legislators.

Go to this link, and just put in your zip code. It gives you contact info for both your legislators in the House and Senate.

http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/find.cfm
 
troutbert wrote:
If you're concerned, contact your legislators.

Go to this link, and just put in your zip code. It gives you contact info for both your legislators in the House and Senate.

http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/find.cfm
Click to expand...

Wow great link. I have one on my website but it's not as easy to get info as yours. I think I'm going to change the link over to the one you just posted. Thanks.
 
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