Comment
1. Without predrilling data, it is not possible to
comment on the cause for any water quality
problems.
2. Where possible, I have noted situations where
elevated levels of a water quality parameter exists in Pennsylvania .
3. If duplicate analysis provided, I attempted to use
the highest reported value.
5. This is not about cause and effect; it is about a
review of the data.
Well – HW-13
With the exception of the following parameters, the
remaining values were reported as NOT Detected (U)
Anionic Surfactants
– < 0.01 mg/L – the secondary drinking water standard for foaming agents is
0.5 mg/L. (OK)
Heterotrophic
Bacteria – 560 cfu/ml -the general guidance for “standard
plate count” or total bacterial count is < 500 colonies per ml (OK). This
would suggest a potential bacterial issue and if there are problems with iron,
manganese, discolored water, or odor, it is possible that the cause could be
related to microbiologically induced corrosion and “nuisance
bacteria”.
Ethane –0.024 mg/L – No specific drinking water
standard (OK)
Methane – 1.30 mg/L – No specific drinking water
standard. (OK).
The well water is not above the new action limit of 7
mg/L, but the well should be fitted with a basic vented well cap. For more
details, go to http://www.water-research.net/methanegas.htm
There are places in PA were baseline levels of methane
gas are at or above 7 mg/L. In general, I would estimate that 1 to 3 % of
private wells may have elevated levels of methane. In addition to modifying the
well, it would be advisable to conduct isotopic analysis. Based on the ratio of
methane to ethane, the ratio is 54. This suggests the gas is of thermogenic
origin and isotopic analysis is critical. No
specific health concern – but action needed to properly vent gas.
Ethylene glycol –
the reported value is < 10 mg/L – there is no standard, but the EPA has a
guidance limit of < 7 mg/L. Other states have lower and higher
standards:
At a minimum, I would recommend retesting for ethylene
glycol other other glycol compounds using a method that is more sensitive or
conducting some type of standard additions
analysis.
Note: I have been to this location and conducted only a field screening test for glycol - the field test is manufactured by Chematics Inc. and the result was not detectable for glycol, i.e., < 1 mg/L.
Note: I have been to this location and conducted only a field screening test for glycol - the field test is manufactured by Chematics Inc. and the result was not detectable for glycol, i.e., < 1 mg/L.
Chloride – 8.31
mg/L (OK) – drinking water standard is < 250 mg/L – this does not
suggest any specific impact.
Sulfate – 10.6 mg/L (OK) – drinking water standard is < 250 mg/L – this does not suggest any specific impact.
Barium - 0.225 mg/L (Total) and 0.235 mg/L (D) – drinking water standard is < 2 mg/L – this does not suggest any specific impact and barium is typically detectable in non-saline impacted water at a level of less than 1 mg/L. (OK)
Calcium- 31.9 mg/L
(Total) and 33.1 mg/L (D) – no specific drinking water standard drinking water
standard is available. (OK)
Iron – 2.87 mg/L
(Total) and 0.33 mg/L (D) – Iron is regulated as a secondary drinking water
standard in Pennsylvania and the action limit is 0.3
mg/L. Therefore, the total iron content exceeds the secondary drinking water
standard. Elevated level of iron is a common water quality problem in
Northeastern Pennsylvania . Action is Recommended, because of an aesthetic issue.
Check for MIC and Nuisance Bacteria.
Magnesium- 6.62
mg/L (Total) and 6.84 mg/L (D) – no specific drinking water standard drinking
water standard is available. (OK)
Manganese– 0.031
mg/L (Total) and 0.0164 mg/L (D) – Manganese is regulated as a secondary
drinking water standard in Pennsylvania and the action limit is 0.05
mg/L. Therefore, the total manganese content does not exceed the secondary
drinking water standard. (OK)
Nickel - 0.0016
mg/L (Total) and 0.0013 mg/L (D) – – no specific drinking water standard
drinking water standard is available, but the EPA has suggest a MCL of 0.1
mg/L. (OK)
Sodium –12.6 mg/L
(Total) and 12.9 mg/L (D) – – no specific drinking water standard drinking water
standard is available, but the EPA has added it to the Candidate List to provide
more analysis. The EPA’s initial value of 20 mg/L has been clearly identified
as not realistic. When chloride (salt is sodium chloride) is present at a
concentration of over 250 mg/L, the water can have an “off” taste. At 400+ mg/L
chloride, the water will taste definitely salty. (Source- Dr. Brian Redmond,
Professional Geologist). (OK)
Strontium – 0.764 mg/L (Total) and 0.774 mg/L (D) –
no specific drinking water standard drinking water standard is available, but it
is on the EPA Candidate List. The EPA recommends that
drinking water levels of nonradioactive strontium should not be more than 4
mg/L. The report limit is consistent with background levels in Northeastern Pennsylvania . If the background level was
above 4 mg/L, it would be advisable to test for radiological parameters,
especially alpha/beta. (OK)
Toluene – 0.0012 mg/L -
Toluene is regulated as a primary drinking water standard by
the EPA and PADEP in Pennsylvania and the action limit and maximum
contaminant level goal is 1.0 mg/L, but over 0.0040 mg/L toluene can create odor
related problems. (OK)
Uranium – 0.0003 mg/L (Total) and 0.0032 mg/L (D)
– Uranium is regulated as a primary drinking water standard by the EPA and PADEP
in Pennsylvania and the action limit is 0.030
mg/L. (OK)
Zinc – 0.004 mg/L (Total) and < 0.002 mg/L
(D) – Zinc is regulated as a secondary drinking water standard by the PADEP in
Pennsylvania
and the action limit is 5.0 mg/L. (OK)
Total Dissolved
Solids – 15
mg/L – Total Dissolved Solids is regulated as a secondary drinking water
standard by the PADEP in Pennsylvania and the action limit is 500
mg/L. (Question – this value seems
inaccurate or a typo – This should be redone.)
Nitrate+Nitrite- N – 0.78 mg/L,
this is well below the EPA / PADEP drinking water limit of
10mg N/L for nitrate-N and would also be below the limit of 1.0 mg N/L for
nitrite-N. (OK)
Total Nitrogen – 1.45 mg/L (No
Standard)
No major problems
1. Heterotrophic bacteria data is
elevated.
2. Iron is elevated and exceeds a secondary drinking
water standard.
3. Methane/Ethane Ratio could suggest the source of the
methane is of thermogenic origin and the level of methane is well below the
action level of 7 mg/L.
4.Total Dissolved Solids results seem inaccurate or
there is a typo in the draft report.
5. Retesting for glycols using a more sensitive
technique is recommended. Note - I have used a field screening test for glycols and the level was less then 1 mg/L - Note- Not a certified or approved method.
6. Toluene detected – but not at a level above a maximum
contaminant level or a level that could cause aesthetic issues.
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Document can not
be copied in whole or part without the expressed written permission of Mr. Brian
Oram, B.F. Environmental Consultants Inc. http://www.bfenvironmental.com
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A Well by Well - Review of the Data for Dimock, PA collected by EPA
I am glad to see that in this article you recommend that baseline data is necessary to adequately determine the effects of any procedure like fracking on groundwater. If the well water of people in communities like Dimock has truly been affected by fracking, the gas companies should of course pay for remdiation, but only if it can be shown that fracking is the most likely cause.
ReplyDeleteThis is one of the lessons that we should learn from Dimock - Baseline Testing Needs to be Done NOW ! There are a lot of other lessons and it is clear that there needs to be a lot of groundwater education.
ReplyDelete