Facts about the Environmental Impacts of Drilling

The Trenton-Black River reservoirs are deep below the surface, as deep as 15,000 feet in Pennsylvania. The gas from these reservoirs would be extracted under high pressure and with very high flow rates. Much of the drilling will be through directional drilling which is technically more complex than drilling straight holes.

Because of these factors, large drilling rigs with large crews will b necessary for each well, requiring large well pad clearings. Pits and tanks will be necessary in order to store waste material. Finding the right place to drill involves seismic exploration. In order to access theses sites, roads will need to be built. In order to get the oil and gas from the drilling site to market, pipeline systems will be developed with compressor stations and checkpoints.

Each stage and aspect of such a development has environmental impacts. These are just some fo those impacts that have been documented elsewhere.

Seismic Exploration

The first stage in drilling involves geophysical surveying. This involves drilling wells 20 feet deep and then “shooting” them with explosives. These wells are places 110 feet apart, resulting in 48 stations per mile of “seismic line.” There is a potential for noise disturbance and blowouts, which may cause large craters to form.

Construction

The construction phase involves clear-cutting the forest areas to make room for roads, pipelines, well pads, and other clearings. This results in habitat destruction and fragmentation. The earth moving activities that follow raise the greatest potential for water pollution as a result of sediment release from construction sites. This sediment enters our watersheds, killing aquatic life. This in turn affects the health of trout populations and the costs of water treatment downstream.

Drilling

Construction and drilling operations will last for two to three months for each well. Drilling involves injecting either air, gas, or mud-water into a well hole and results in the discharge of air and rock cuttings as well as gas and formations water (brine). These are stored onsite in a pit and often are contaminated with heavy metals and other toxic substances. Because of the pressure and volatility of the deep natural gas, during the drilling process, huge flare-offs are created which have the potential for causing explosions or forest fires. Some sites proposed for drilling are below existing natural gas storage fields. Drilling through theses fields could cause other wells to blow out.

Noise and Light Pollution

Drilling operations for these wells are extremely noisy. Significant impacts to forest users will be experienced as far as one mile away. The 3 to 5 acre well pad clearings are lit up much like a Wal-Mart parking lot at night.

Water Pollution

Whenever there is drilling, there is potential for contamination of ground and surface water. Oil and gas drilling has caused water supplies to be contaminated with such toxics as benzene and toluene. Oil seeps can form as a result of drilling operations and leaks are commonly associated with wells, pipelines, and storage tanks. While lease provisions would prevent the location of drill holes within 100 feet of a stream, DCNR has rewritten the rules to allow this provision to be waived if requested. Fords of streams may be allowed in some instances.

Habitat Destruction and Fragmentation

Oil and gas drilling greatly increases forest fragmentation. Because of the very nature of drilling, companies tend to locate well sites at equal distances from each other, virtually requiring the maximum amount of road, pipelines, and well site clearings. Theses state lands are important habitats for numerous threatened and endangered species including the bald eagle and Indiana bat. In addition, these lands host unique wetland habitats, some of which will likely be impacted by the drilling. New roads are going to be added to the state forest road system and will remain after drilling operations are completed.

Recreational Impacts

The areas proposed for drilling host some of the most popular hiking trails and camping spots in Pennsylvania. While the proposed lease would limit activity within 330 feet of these sites, it would not prohibit roads, pipelines, and compressor stations from encroaching upon trails and picnic sites. In addition, these well-sites and accompanying rigs and flare-offs have a great potential for obstructing scenic vistas and will cause noise impact. Any of these protections can be waived by the DCNR without public notice or review.

Pipeline Clearings

Another impact associated with this activity is the construction and maintenance of pipelines. Pipelines carrying volatile natural gas can explode. In addition, pipeline clearings must be kept clear of large vegetation and this is often done with herbicides, which have their own impact on the environment.

Gas Storage Fields

One option the DCNR will have is to maintain the leases in order to allow the companies to establish tapped reservoirs as gas storage fields. This increases the life of well sites and the potential for future problems.

Written by the Allegheny Defense Project

Click here to read about the DCNR proposed oil and gas rights auction.
Click here to reach the Allegheny Defense Project website.

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