NYT: Regulation Lax as Gas Wells’ Tainted Water Hits Rivers (Pittsburgh: employment, taxes)

[gg]

Originally Posted by Hopes

I think it's time to contract a water cooler service for my house. Why wait until after we hear the water is destroyed? It could be too late by then.

Check into filters. They do an amazing job if you look into them. Getting water delivered might come from springs close to the gas wells. It is going to be a mess because of the money people are making. If there is a lot of money involved people don't care. Look at the Gulf of Mexico. Did that slow down deep water drilling? Hardly.

[Love2Golf09]

Originally Posted by jay5835

Actually, you have zero credibility. Whatever you think, the opposite is probably true.

If it wouldn't mean benzene in my drinking water, I would wish you benzene in your drinking water.

As I had already guessed, here is a blog from the former head of PA's Department of Environmental Protection under Fast Eddie trashing the NY Times article. He says he was even quoted in it, even though no one from the Times ever contacted him. Interesting.

So, you can defend your liberal propaganda news outlets all you want, but I'll continue drinking my water and living my life. I'm not concerned about being poisoned to death, or global warming causing mass natural disasters, or the planet being overpopulated to the point of famine and world wars causing tens of millions of deaths. You claim to know so much already, so why dont you go save the planet for both of us? I'm sure you ride a bike to work everyday and have solar panels on your house, right? Otherwise, that would make you a hypocrite.

Facts of The Day: Statement regarding Sunday NYT February 27th Drilling Article

[Yac]

Just a word of warning - the next person that continues this off topic, liberal vs conservative propaganda/world view, personal attack path will win a fabulous, 3 day vacation time in the "restricted from posting land" for hijacking the topic.
Yac.

[Aqua Teen Carl]

Originally Posted by Yac

Just a word of warning - the next person that continues this off topic, liberal vs conservative propaganda/world view, personal attack path will win a fabulous, 3 day vacation time in the "restricted from posting land" for hijacking the topic.
Yac.

Thank you, that garbage was getting old quickly.

Anyway, I'll just have to treat my tap water like I was living in Mexico and drink nothing but bottled water. What's sad is that I was all in with filtered water less than a year ago, but now since the water supply is officially tainted I don't have much a choice. I just don't understand how this is even allowed in America.

[hempfield mania]

My water was last tested for Radioactive materials in 2004.

Hopefully they will begin to test more frequently with the increased shale fracking.

http://www.mawc.org/waterquality/2009CCRReport.pdf (broken link)

The 2010 report isn't out yet or at least it isn't posted so it may very well be included in it.

Hopes and Aqua,
Better check on where the bottled water comes from. Over 50% of it is just re-packaged tap water from another part of the state/country and it may not even been filtered more than the normal tap water....

[Aqua Teen Carl]

Originally Posted by hempfield mania

Hopes and Aqua,
Better check on where the bottled water comes from. Over 50% of it is just re-packaged tap water from another part of the state/country and it may not even been filtered more than the normal tap water....

I know unfortunately......

But as long as it's not as bad as our chromium laced, irradiated water supply I'll take it as an improvement.

[gg]

Originally Posted by Yac

Just a word of warning - the next person that continues this off topic, liberal vs conservative propaganda/world view, personal attack path will win a fabulous, 3 day vacation time in the "restricted from posting land" for hijacking the topic.
Yac.

Thank you.

This is an important thread and I hope to learn a bit more about what is going on in this region. There is nothing wrong with being concerned about drinking water. It has nothing to do with anything except safety and what people feel comfortable with. I just want to know more about the effects of what is going on, but it is tough to figure out since there is so much money involved for a few families that happen to have land. Sure it can be great for the economy, but safety is certainly a factor of this new found gold. I think I will just get safe water in my home and realize nothing is going to be good in an environmental point of view. It is all about money.

[BrianTH]

The environmental/public-health question is a difficult one. Cheap natural gas is primarily a substitute for marginal coal and oil, which are themselves associated with a lot of environmental and public health issues both in production and in use. I personally think that with proper regulation and enforcement, plus using a lot more natural gas locally for power generation, vehicles, industrial processes, and so on, exploiting shale gas would be a net win for the environment and public health both globally and locally. But that qualification about proper regulation and enforcement is crucial.

[ki0eh]

Originally Posted by h_curtis

Check into filters. They do an amazing job if you look into them.

Most home filters DO NOT remove radioisotopes or TDS. Only an RO menbrane might remove the TDS, and as a consequence of using those you make your own "frackwater" by concentrating the contamination - you then made the disposal problem your own to figure out what to do with. Also I was just at a meeting with a major membrane maufacturer's chief application engineer and he said that he honestly does not know what the gellant and other "secret frac" chemicals would actually do to the membrane materials. Certain water softeners might remove the radioisotopes if you know which they are, and again you have a backwash brine to deal with.

[Duderino]

I don't know how any reasonable person wouldn't be at least concerned about this. I also don't understand the people who bend over backwards defending what is, at best, misleading information on behalf of the natural gas industry. It's like if any information comes out criticizing the practices of harvesting Marcellus Shale, some people will never display one iota of concern. This is despite overwhelming scientific evidence of dangerous environmental risks surrounding the methods of hydro-fracking. This is REAL, and it's definitely not the time to toss around the partisan name-calling. Clean water and a sustainable environment is neither a conservative nor liberal issue. The accusation of "propaganda" or "bias" is only a desperate response used when one cannot present any evidence to the contrary.

I know Pennsylvania is better than this. We absolutely have to start holding our government officials and the energy industry more accountable and demand transparency.