Cumulative impact

Members of The River Reporter staff shared a similar reaction to the visual aesthetics of the drilling sites during our field trip to Dimock, PA on April 30. What we saw, with the exception of those sites overrun by hundreds of huge water tankers preparing for fracking, didn’t look like JRR Tolkien’s Vale of Saruman. Not yet anyway.

But even if the contamination of the viewshed is not (at least at this stage) total, we came away with the feeling that the cumulative impact of the drilling activity is overwhelming. And the lack of a snapshot that encapsulates that in a single visual symbol makes it all the more difficult and frustrating to communicate.

As you can imagine, one drilling rig set a few hundred yards beyond a barn, nestled in rolling green hills, doesn’t look that bad. And one could probably get used to the permanently and unnaturally flattened hilltop in the background.

But when looking at the high bare drilling mound walls, we couldn’t help wondering whether the single line of straw bales at its base would hold back runoff if we experienced heavy rains—like those we had last weekend. And drilling equipment, lights, pipes and excavation at every twist in the road give the impression that one is traversing an industrial, not a rural, landscape. That is what Carter Road area in Dimock—where they have trouble with methane in the water wells—has become. Imagine a narrow lane through woods, deeply rutted with industrial heavy stone at its base, with a series of large, flat clearings-complete with no trespassing signs and metal fencing-zigzagging from one side to the other. Imagine, too, the fragmentation of the habitat and the eco-system being continuously altered.

Also missing from a snapshot is the impact of the constant stream of heavy trucks carrying sand, water or construction vehicles. On twisty country roads, we were passed by many large trucks, most seemingly traveling too fast. Listening to that truck traffic day and night would certainly change the inner landscape. And taking a walk on those same roads becomes a different reality than before. The dollar cost of the impact on the roads—and the wear and tear on residents’ vehicles—is invisible as well.

Photos don’t capture sound, either. And while we did not visit any compressor stations (which, unlike drilling activity, would be running 24/7 year round), a generator we observed running at a rig, where huge lights were on during the daytime, generated 87 decibels, a threshold level above which, according to the National Institutes of Health, prolonged exposure can cause permanent hearing damage.

But the single biggest concern is the release of poisons into the environment and its impact on all that live in proximity to the drilling activity. Large pits, lined with sagging black plastic, did not instill confidence that it couldn’t escape into the environment. And we wondered how migrating birds would know the difference between this body of fluid and an area pond. Ironically, the effect on animals became very real that afternoon when, upon our return, we received the news that in Caddo Parish, LA, 17 cows died after apparently ingesting fluids that escaped from a nearby gas pad. We had seen working farms in Susquehanna County, complete with grazing cows.

While one cannot expect to get a complete picture in a day of sightseeing, beyond corporate-looking gas company regional offices, we saw no evidence of prosperity. In fact, what we saw were mostly broken-down houses, many sporting new, tall, white gas-venting pipes in their front and side yards.

In short, even when you go to experience gas drilling first hand, understanding the full impact in an area requires an act of imagination and a process of connecting the dots to see the cumulative impact. Perhaps not surprisingly, cumulative impact is not something that, at present, is being considered, as each gas pad and pipeline in Pennsylvania is being assessed as a singular entity. (There is news that the Susquehanna River Basin Commission is beginning to consider cumulative impact, and that it may limit water withdrawals to protect ground and surface water.)

Following our trip, we are more adamant than ever that now is the time to attend your town and township meetings and help our local officials connect the dots of gas drilling’s cumulative impacts on the community and our lives. While some might see gas drilling opportunity as the American dream, what we saw was its potential of becoming a nightmare. The issue is complex, with national energy, private property and financial implications, but how it happens here is very local and personal.

We couldn’t get you a single snapshot but we can communicate how important it is that you become involved.

Also in this issue:

• NY State: imperative to retain a clean water supply

Dr. Punnybone

Bone Density