Future fracking site leaks during prep, forces evacuations (Columbus, Cincinnati: 2014, homes)

[RiverLover11]

So about 100 barrels(1,600 gallons) of drilling fluid leaked out while drilling into our earth in preparation for fracking & forced homeowners to leave for their own safety. Escaping natural gas was a threat. (I hope one of the evacuees was the person who sold out to allow fracking on their property.) This is about 1 hr 45 mins east of Cbus. I was out there yesterday, and its gorgeous country.

Shale well leaks during drilling process, forcing evacuations in Morgan County | The Columbus Dispatch

It also spilled into a creek nearby that feeds into the beautiful Muskingum River
Ohio fracking well leaks fluid into creek - Hudson Hub-Times | Hudson & Summit County, OH

[RiverLover11]

Channel 4 reported the following last night,

"Teresa Mills, with the Center for Health, Environment and Justice looked at inspection records from ODNR on the three Morgan County wells on that pad. She said, "there have been other incidents of drilling fluids spills on that site and contrary to what ODNR officials said, this is not an isolated incident."

The well is owned by PDC Energy out of Colorado which owns 17 of the 1,074 permitted wells in Ohio."

Cleanup Continues After Drilling Rig Blowout - WCMH: News, Weather, and Sports for Columbus, Ohio

So there are 1,074 fracking wells in Ohio, as well as 242 injection wells for toxic dumping. That's kind of mind blowing to me. Is it even possible to buy property in rural eastern Ohio that isn't near some type of potentially dangerous well? And what does that do to property values for homes close to the sites?

I wouldn't be surprised if a few months from now, news will come out that the spill was much worse than previously thought. But it won't be noticed by many, like this one...

Ohio oil spill much worse than previously thought (PHOTOS) ? RT USA

This one that happened near Cincinnati, when a pipeline that had been found defective 5 YEARS ago broke, is especially heart-breaking because it happened in a nature preserve. Tragic irony.

[Zen_master]

With our nation's aging infrastructure how many sewer pipes are leaking? How about overloaded storm water infrastructure causing erosion and excessive turbidity in our scenic rivers? I find it amusing so many choose to rally against fracking when much more prevalent and therefore arguably more harmful issues in your own backyard go ignored.

[RiverLover11]

Wow. Just for one example of why there might be higher concern over fracking, there's not much radioactive waste in our sewage.

Research Shows Some Test Methods Miss 99 Percent of Radium in Fracking Waste | DeSmogBlog

Fracking Truck Sets Off Radiation Alarm At Landfill - Forbes

Radionuclides associated with hydraulic fracturing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Fracking wastewater contaminated

[Zen_master]

As someone who volunteers 8 months out of the year to maintain the scenic designation of one of Ohio's scenic rivers I have witnessed first hand the ubiquity of poorly planned runoff, waste water, and sewage. Fracking is a red herring in many cases while most ignore the threat in their own backyard. And keep in mind the radioactive substance is naturally occurring. A lot of these article try to bury that fact and instead imply the "chemicals" added to the hydraulic fracturing fluid is radioactive. Do you have a basement? Chances are if you're in Central Ohio you have radon in your home - a radioactive gas.

By the way, are you a golfer? Golf courses are one of the worst polluters of water ways.

[RiverLover11]

Zen_master, Thank you for helping one of our rivers! I'd love to find out what organization you volunteer for. I've been looking for ways to get involved since moving here 3 months ago.

And if I golfed, I might still be married. LOL My ex is a director of golf at a 4 diamond resort. Once I realized the astounding waste of land & water used for golfing, hitting the tiny white ball into a hole, I had to stop. Then factoring in the fertilizers and pesticides used, one of which has been proven now to be killing our bees, imo its a sad shame the game is so popular.

I think both sewage dumping/runoff and fracking are bad for our waters. But lets get real. Benzene. Benzene is a known cancer & leukemia-causing agent. Its being found at high levels in the streams and ground near fracking sites. The air near fracking sites is contaminated by benzene. Methane is the natural gas being blasted out of the shale. When its vapors are released into the atmoshere, it is has atmospheric heat-trapping ability 20 times that of carbon dioxide. And of more immediate concern, that natural gas, methane, is getting into nearby drinking water supplies, which I'm sure you're aware of. And the testing & regulations done by the govt are being dictated by the oil & gas companies. This is why we need to get big money out of politics. No more private campaign funding...

Anyways, here's a few things to consider...

"Fracking study finds combustible levels of methane in water after EPA gave the all clear+ Published time: January 13, 2014 22:21


...Now, another full year later, an independent study conducted by Duke University has determined that combustible levels of methane do exist in wells near Weatherford, Texas and recommends that the EPA re-open its investigation. The results, published Friday, seem to validate local residents’ assertions, including Steve Lipsky’s claim that his well water will actually ignite when he holds up a flame.



“I don’t understand why they would let the company that was accused of doing the wrongdoing conduct the tests,” resident Shelly Purdue told Bloomberg News. “It doesn’t make any sense.”



Duke researchers found 54.7 milligrams per liter of methane in a random sample of drinking water in December 2012. Curiously, the Range Resources study conducted just a month earlier found a mere 20 milligrams and 4.2 milligrams in mid-2012"
Fracking study finds combustible levels of methane in water after EPA gave the all clear ? RT USA


Closer to home, and regarding radioactive waste, our ODNR is clearly in bed with the oil & gas companies and Ohio passed a new law. We're the only state to allow this...


"A related concern is our understanding that the Ohio Department of Natural Resources plans to allow the “downblending” of wastes with soil or other materials in an attempt to dilute radioactivity. Rather than “diluting” the radioactive material as is intended, the process actually creates more radioactive waste material by turning the once benign base material into radioactive material.


This law also opens the door for Ohio to encourage the disposal of radioactive materials in solid waste landfills that are not engineered to safely contain large volumes of radioactive waste."
Radioactive Shale Gas (Fracking) Wastes | Ohio Environmental Council


I could definitely go on, but I'll spare you. We're at a tipping point here. We need to either make fracking safe or stop it entirely. And Ohio is being treated as a toxic dumping ground. Along with radioactive waste soon being sent to our landfills, the toxic waste from nearby states is AT THIS MOMENT being dumped here in earthquake-causing deep injection wells with little or no oversight. It isn't right.

[RiverLover11]

Just want to add that I suspect Ohio has opened the door for radioactive and other toxic wastes to go into landfills as a way to curb the deep injection well use causing the earthquakes. It won't be as noticeable. But they are putting our lives at risk for profit.