Industrial waste spill--Frankstown branch Juniata

[John96]

Today Sunco/Energy Transfer Partners (who are currently building an illegal pipeline) spilled a few hundred gallons of drilling fluid onto a small family farm, which then preceded to run off into the river. Things like this make me sick.

I just wanted to make this known to people as it has yet to be reported by a news outlet.

I wonder what the implications will be to the flora and fauna will be down stream. Those fluids are a toxic cocktail--no one but the manufactures know what is in them.

 

[fishhead]

If no one but the manufacturer knows whats in them(which is false) then what are you basing your statement "these fluids are a toxic cocktail" on?

 

[moon1284]

If it's only a few hundred gallons it probably won't do much harm. Still not a good thing though.

 

[krayfish2]

Where can I find documentation on the pipeline? I'd be interested in reading the court documents where the operation was deemed to be illegal and would like to know how they are still operating after such a determination.

Hope you called the state police, EPA, DCNR or someone prior to posting.

 

[John96]

fishhead wrote:
If no one but the manufacturer knows whats in them(which is false) then what are you basing your statement "these fluids are a toxic cocktail" on?

I did contradict myself. What I intended get across is that the companies who make this drilling fluid are secretive and proprietary about what is in them. I am basing that statement on the fact that these spills can contaminate people wells. Generally if you are advised not to drink your well water after it comes into contact with something saying it is toxic is not a stretch.

 

[John96]

krayfish2 wrote:
Where can I find documentation on the pipeline? I'd be interested in reading the court documents where the operation was deemed to be illegal and would like to know how they are still operating after such a determination.

Hope you called the state police, EPA, DCNR or someone prior to posting.

Unfortunately it went to court and a judge decided to rule against the rights of private land owners in favor of a massive company abusing its power. It is illegal considering they are feigning as a public utility to get land through eminent domain so that they can build a pipeline to transport oil to the coast and sell it over seas for plastic manufacturing.

 

[bikerfish]

nothing to see here, it's all good, no harm can come from any of this, no worries, just go about your business and ignore what goes on.

well, THAT is what I was told.

can't fight it, money wins, we lose. end of story.

 

[ryanh]

They will have to do a spill report that will include sds sheets of the material. DEP takes spills pretty serious. Usually the pipeline companies use fairly benign stuff like bentonite clay. Hopefully that is all that was spilled.

 

[tomgamber]

Have and supposed to...same thing?

 

[poopdeck]

What's a news organization going to do? There are no less then a dozen environmental agencies monitoring and regulating this type of thing. I'm sure it is known and it is being looked into and if there is any damage it will be fixed.

It sucks but there is no way around accidents. We can only hope the various regulatory agencies levies the appropriate fines and fixes.

 

[timbow]

Though I don’t know for sure but Energy Transfer was most likely performing a HDD, horizontal directional drilling, when this occurred. The slurry that they use to lubricate the drill and pipe pull through is nothing more than a mixture of water and bentonite clay. It is NOT toxic, but being a very fine sediment it can be an issue if spilled in larger quantities into a waterway.

Constructing a pipeline is really nothing more than digging a trench and welding pipe. There aren’t really any “toxic” chemicals used in large quantities.

 

[FarmerDave]

ryanh wrote:
They will have to do a spill report that will include sds sheets of the material. DEP takes spills pretty serious. Usually the pipeline companies use fairly benign stuff like bentonite clay. Hopefully that is all that was spilled.

That is what I was thinking. According to the OP...

1. It's drilling fluid.
2. It's a pipeline.

Based on that alone, the sky hasn't fallen.

Don't confuse drilling fluid for a pipeline with fracking fluid used in horizontal drilling.

On a side note, I've recently seen commercials for Energy Transfer pipelines on TV (I think that was the company). My guess is that they will be coming to an area near me.

 

[tomitrout]

Is this the Mariner East 2 pipeline? They had yet another spill, er, I mean "Inadvertent Return", of drilling fluid on Snitz Creek in the last couple days...they've been having one hell of a time laying pipe thru there. The bentonite clay/drilling mud may not be toxic, but that doesn't mean it's harmless. That crap can sure clog up good clean spawning gravels and wreak havoc on the macro invertebrates if allowed to settle.

 

[lycoflyfisher]

Pipelines typically are not a source of a toxic chemical spill unless the fuel that they transport is leaked after completion. However, as mentioned above the bentonite slurry if in large enough quantities can really wreck havoc on a small stream. The larger issue may be with large scale sedimentation in what was otherwise pristine head water streams. Many companies continue to try and work year round and anyone involved in construction knows how moving dirt goes this time of year. It is much more difficult to maintain adequate E&S controls as the frost is coming out.

 

[dryflyguy]

What section of the stream is this on?

 

[krayfish2]

I was just looking for clarification since the OP stated that the pipeline was illegal and apparently that was fake news

 

[salmonoid]

John96 wrote:
Today Sunco/Energy Transfer Partners (who are currently building an illegal pipeline) spilled a few hundred gallons of drilling fluid onto a small family farm, which then preceded to run off into the river. Things like this make me sick.

I just wanted to make this known to people as it has yet to be reported by a news outlet.

I wonder what the implications will be to the flora and fauna will be down stream. Those fluids are a toxic cocktail--no one but the manufactures know what is in them.

You might want to check some of your facts.

It was reported 3/18.

http://www.altoonamirror.com/news/local-news/2018/03/dep-suspends-pipeline-drilling-over-spill/

It's a liquefied natural gas pipeline, and won't transport oil (although the LNG could be used to create plastics).

As others have noted, drilling fluid is not the same as fracking fluid.

The use of eminent domain on a non-interstate project survived a court challenge to it's legality. It may be wrong in your eyes but it's not currently illegal.

Not that the spill is a good thing, but including inflammatory anti-drilling/pipeline/energy rhetoric doesn't change the facts of the situation. It might whip up a base that doesn't care to deal with facts, but that's it.

 

[SurfCowboyXX]

Yeah, this is only drilling fluid. It's nowhere near as bad as LNG or petrol. But look at the bright side: once the pipeline is built, ETP will start pumping LNG or petrol through it day and night until it inevitably fails (they all do eventually). THEN, you'll have your stream-killing spill. Be patient.

This is the same company that built the pipeline through the South Dakota reservation and then had spills in their water. It's just what they do, and they're wildly proud of it. Back on February 20, the CEO testified in Delaware Chancery Court that they were particularly proud of the pipeline they had managed to recently lay through the most sensitive part of the Atchafalaya Swamp in Louisiana. So in time, you can say goodbye to that place, as well.

Incidentally, if you don't have an ethical objection to investing in a company that couldn't give the first fart about clean rivers, then I'd advise looking into both ETE and ETP. Thank me later with a bottle of Blanton's.

 

[rrt]

The FB is already dying. The white flies disappeared about 15 years ago. The autumn olives were gone 10 years ago, as were the slatae drakes. The grannoms were gone four years ago. Only last year the sulphurs were wiped out, possibly from bridge/intersection building in Frankstown. I called DEP to investigate last year, and they were going to look at the FB. If they did, they never got back to me.

SurfCowboyXX is right: Just wait. If the pipeline company doesn't finish it off, the liquid pig manure from a newly permitted CAFO hog farm near Yellow Springs (Hemlock Lane) that is to be spread in fields adjacent to the FB near Canoe Creek will surely finish it off.

And, who knows what other indignities it will secretly experience?

Plus, the lower seven miles of its feeder stream, Clover Creek, had its sulphurs wiped out by a manure spill 3 years ago.

Bid the FB a sad good-by.

 

[John96]

tomitrout wrote:
Is this the Mariner East 2 pipeline? They had yet another spill, er, I mean "Inadvertent Return", of drilling fluid on Snitz Creek in the last couple days...they've been having one hell of a time laying pipe thru there. The bentonite clay/drilling mud may not be toxic, but that doesn't mean it's harmless. That crap can sure clog up good clean spawning gravels and wreak havoc on the macro invertebrates if allowed to settle.

Yes.