Posts from the ‘Marcellus Shale’ Category
Coliforms … friend or foe
I have already mentioned that our domestic water supply is drawn from a surface spring. Having been raised in the city, this fact had been perhaps the most significant hurdle between me and rural living. I remember thinking .. water doesn’t come from the ground .. in order for it to be safe it must emanate from pipes .. right?
We recently had our water tested (see posts about the Marcellus gas shale industry) and can report that the results were well within recommended levels for things like iron, sodium, and sulfates as well as for compounds of particular concern (such as arsenic, barium, strontium, and methane for example) when fracking is occurring in your neighborhood. The test parameters which fell outside of recommended levels were those for total coliforms and fecal coliforms. I’m sure that anyone who reads this is now aghast .. positive for coliforms! Take a deep breath. Coliforms are gram-negative bacteria found ubiquitously in water, soils, on plants, and in the digestive systems of mostly warm-blooded animals. Although a number of these may cause serious human disease, most comprise part of the normal (human) bacterial flora and are considered opportunistic pathogens; that is, they cause disease when host conditions are ripe to do so. The presence of coliform bacteria does not necessarily indicate that your water is unsafe; its presence however may indicate that other, potentially pathogenic, organisms may be around. If you look into our spring house you will see lots of little critters (mostly pill bugs, centipedes, and spiders) crawling about its walls. If you peer into the reservoir itself you will see a number of salamanders and newts darting about. We were told by pervious owners of the farm that they used to put a trout or two into the spring each year. They’d allow these to feed and to fatten until it was time to harvest. We suppose the trout also acted as the proverbial Canary in the Coal Mine and would be a real-time indicator of water quality as well. If you look around the spring house the surrounding wood is busy with the traffic of a variety of wildlife including birds, domestic dogs and cats, deer, raccoons, possums, and mice; and more unpredictably bobcats, bear, porcupine, and foxes. The place is teaming with the activity of warm-blooded animals (which harbor and deposit fecal coliforms). To discover the presence of coliforms in our spring should come as no surprise – we expect them to be there. It is wrong to conclude that the presence of these organisms makes the water unfit for consumption. For years we drew our domestic water straight from the spring. To put those of you who might be concerned about the presence of coliform bacteria, pathogenic or not, you will be glad to know that we now have a UV filter in place which instantaneously kills any biologically active material in our incoming water stream including bacteria, viruses, and protists such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia. Our water is excellent. It is soft, clear, cold, and delicious. We are grateful for it – coliforms and all.
Double take
I have passed this facility at our local market several hundred times, yet only yesterday, noticed a phrase in the advertisement which accompanies it. Please do not misunderstand, it is a wonderful thing that purified water can be so readily available to consumers in this way. To be clear, the motivation for this post came from the surprise that I registered when I read the phrase … “Like Water Used to be!” My first thought was, Does water not taste like it used to? And, if so, When did this happen?
I am aware that there are global concerns about water; and, in particular, the availability of clean drinking water to nourish an ever-growing population (human and otherwise). A quick gathering of statistics brought the many problems into clear relief; 884 million people do not have access to safe water and 1.4 million children die each year as a result of diseases caused by organisms which are found in unclean water. I am also aware, in some general sense at least, that there are significant water issues in the U.S. as well. What took me up short however was the realization (made so clear by the statement which is the focus of this post) that a number of folks apparently do not have access to water that is both delicious and pure … like [it] used to be.
I suppose I had thought that the real issues of water supply and quality were somehow concerns of countries in the developing world. What shocked me was the uncomfortable realization that these issues affect my world too. Sure, I know that there are worries about U.S. water supplies and that one in three counties here will experience greater risks of water shortage due to global climate change in the near future. Perhaps the fact that fifty billion units of bottled water are consumed by Americans each year should have given me a hint. The fact, which I was able to ignore in my little clean-water corner of the world I call home, is that water quality is enough of a local issue that facilities like the one shown above are here and they are here to stay. This negative realization is made more worrisome, for us, by the encroachment of the Marcellus gas shale industry. We wrote, in an earlier post, about the potential impact of hydraulic fracturing on our own domestic and agricultural water supplies. Let us hope that the situation never, ever, mirrors that reflected upon by Coleridge in verse: Water, water, every where … Nor any drop to drink.
Moody waters
We took a walk this morning. The sky was overcast and the river seemed moody … cold, dark, and quiet even where it was moving quickly. Living the way we do has made us come to look at and to appreciate water in ways which we used not to. Water which supports our livestock is drawn from a drilled well near the barns; that which we drink flows from a surface spring which emerges just outside the house. Our supply of domestic water fluctuates with the mostly seasonal vagaries of the surrounding water-table, one of many constant preoccupations. Although we have always had water, there have been times when its flow rate has been very low. Just two summers ago we needed to dramatically limit consumption, and showers and laundry were very carefully scheduled. Luckily there have also been times when we have not had to worry about such limitations.
We recently commented on the local development of Marcellus shale gas deposits. One of the techniques used by this industry to extract previously untapped reservoirs is called hydraulic fracturing (or fracking). Fracking involves injecting water, sand, and chemicals at high pressure into rock formations deep within the earth; this fractures and expands existing fissures in the rock and allows natural gas to rise to the surface. Our fear is for the potential for methane gas and, more insidiously, dangerous chemicals to migrate along these fissures and to pollute our water. Many of the chemicals used by the fracking industry are known to be toxic to humans and other animals, and several are known carcinogens. Potentially toxic substances include petroleum distillates such as kerosene and diesel fuel (which contain benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene, xylene, and naphthalene); polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; methanol; formaldehyde; ethylene glycol; glycol ethers; hydrochloric acid; and sodium hydroxide.
Our concern for water is genuine. It is not hyperbole to argue that without it … this place ceases to exist.
They are coming
This is the view, looking North, from the Pine Creek Rail Trail south of Ramsey. The small squares show something in the distance. The inset photos (L to R) show that something in more detail. It is a drill rig. Good numbers are difficult to come by, only because they vary depending on the particular source. Conservatively, however, more than 9,000 drilling permits have been issued in the state in support of Marcellus Shale gas development since 2007. More than 2,000 of these were issued here in Clinton County alone in 2010. The parallels between the California Gold Rush and the Marcellus Shale gas industry are numerous. It is an unfortunate phenomon that is here to stay.
Like this:
The Pine Creek Rail Trail
This gallery comprises images we took while walking the Pine Creek Rail Trail yesterday. It was cold but clear, and the light was right for taking photos. The Pine Creek Valley traverses the underlying Marcellus Shale, a geologic feature which is the focus of intense natural gas development. Our near and distant neighborhoods are changing dramatically. Hovering an image will reveal its caption; clicking an image will cause you to migrate to a carousel view; you may move forward and back on your own. ESC will bring you back to the original post.
