Wilkes University and B.F. Environmental Consultants Inc. conducted a private well owner outreach and education program and summarized the findings of the 2008 and 2009 assessment at the Birchwood Lakes Community in the Pocono Mountains. The program is part of the Homeowner Outreach Program at Wilkes University and is funded as part of the C-SAW Program - Managed by the Pocono Northeast Resource, Conservation, & Development Council. This program is supported in part by the efforts of the Pocono Northeast RC&D Council, Consortium for Scientific Assistance to Watersheds, Pennsylvania Lake Management Society, Wilkes University - Center for Environmental Quality, PA Growing Greener Program, and the Carbon County Groundwater Guardians.
The education session included 3 workshops and training session related to the geology of the Poconos, the relationship between surfacewater and groundwater, private well construction, groundwater quality, the results of the 2008 and 2009 groundwater sampling, Marcellus Shale Development and a Q/A session of water quality and water treatment. The main speaker was Mr. Brian Oram, Professional Geologist who is the principle at B. F. Environmental Consultants Inc and manager for the Center for Environmental Quality - Water Quality Laboratory within the Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences Department at Wilkes University. The C-SAW program provides free assistance to watershed organizations.
The Carbon County Groundwater Guardians is a nonprofit, volunteer organization providing education on groundwater, private wells and septic systems to homeowners, civic groups and students based in Carbon County, PA. The website for the organization is
http://www.carbonwaters.org
The mission of the Pocono Northeast Resource Conservation and Development Council is to enhance and improve the ecological, cultural, and economic characteristics of the area through projects and programs that promote the management, protection, and utilization of the area's resources and the vision of the Council is to be a recognized leader and advocate of natural resource and community sustainability in northeastern Pennsylvania. The Council is the administrator of the C-SAW grant program. For more information - http://www.pnercd.org
If your community or watershed organization is interested in participating or conducting an education workshop, please contact Mr. Brian Oram at Wilkes University.
For more details - visit
Community Outreach and Education Programs
http://www.bfenvironmental.com
C-SAW Program
http://www.water-research.net/Watershed/watershedtraining.htm
# # #
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
EPA: Chemicals Found in Wyoming Drinking Water Might Be From Fracking
"About 65 people, many in jeans, boots and 10-gallon hats, filled Pavillion’s community hall on Aug. 11 to hear the EPA’s findings. They were told that a range of contaminants, including arsenic, copper, vanadium and methane gas were found in the water. Many of these substances are found in various fluids used at drilling sites.
Of particular concern were compounds called adamantanes, a natural hydrocarbon found in gas that can be used to fingerprint its origin, and 2-BE, listed as a common fracturing fluid in the EPA’s 2004 research report on hydraulic fracturing. That compound, which EPA scientists in Wyoming said they identified with 97 percent certainty, was suspected by some environmental groups in a 2004 drilling-related contamination case in Colorado, also involving EnCana.
EPA investigators explained that because they had no idea what to test for, they were relegated to an exhaustive process of scanning water samples for spikes in unidentified compounds and then running those compounds like fingerprints through a criminal database for matches against a vast library of unregulated and understudied substances. That is how they found the adamantanes and 2-BE.
An EnCana representative told the crowd that the company was as concerned about the contamination as the residents were, and pledged to help the EPA in its investigation "
To read the full article go to
http://www.propublica.org/feature/epa-chemicals-found-in-wyo.-drinking-water-might-be-from-fracking-825
Portion of Article by Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica
Of particular concern were compounds called adamantanes, a natural hydrocarbon found in gas that can be used to fingerprint its origin, and 2-BE, listed as a common fracturing fluid in the EPA’s 2004 research report on hydraulic fracturing. That compound, which EPA scientists in Wyoming said they identified with 97 percent certainty, was suspected by some environmental groups in a 2004 drilling-related contamination case in Colorado, also involving EnCana.
EPA investigators explained that because they had no idea what to test for, they were relegated to an exhaustive process of scanning water samples for spikes in unidentified compounds and then running those compounds like fingerprints through a criminal database for matches against a vast library of unregulated and understudied substances. That is how they found the adamantanes and 2-BE.
An EnCana representative told the crowd that the company was as concerned about the contamination as the residents were, and pledged to help the EPA in its investigation "
To read the full article go to
http://www.propublica.org/feature/epa-chemicals-found-in-wyo.-drinking-water-might-be-from-fracking-825
Portion of Article by Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica
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