Put the burden of testing where it belongs

Your article “Protecting private water wells” made it clear that testing water wells in the vicinity of gas drilling is an absolute necessity. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that a single shale gas well might be injected with 15,000 gallons of chemicals. Many of these chemicals are highly toxic and pose a serious health threat, even in very small quantities.

But water testing is very expensive. The woman interviewed in your article paid $450 to have her water tested, and that’s about par for the course. The Community Science Institute in Ithaca charges $416, plus an additional $60 for collecting the water sample.

The high cost of testing is directly related to the large number of contaminants that can get into our drinking water. The Chautauqua County Department of Health lists 16 parameters that should be measured when testing for drilling-related contamination. These include chlorides, lead, strontium, barium, methane and total dissolved solids.

What’s more, if you live near a gas well, you can’t get away with testing your water just once. Experts recommend that water wells be tested before drilling gets underway, then again when drilling is completed, and at regular intervals for as long as the gas well is in operation. It’s easy to see that testing a home water well could end up costing thousands of dollars.

It’s a great injustice that gas corporations routinely foist this expense onto residents who are unlucky enough to live near their operations. Why should any of us have to spend our own money to make sure we’re not being poisoned by a business that sets up shop in our neighborhood? Water testing is a business expense, pure and simple, and it should be borne by the companies that stand to profit from gas extraction.

For New York State residents, relief might be in sight. Long Island Assemblyman Bob Sweeney has drafted a bill that would place the burden of paying for water testing where it belongs—onto the corporations that endanger our water. Assemblyman Sweeney’s bill (A8784) would require gas companies to regularly test drinking water, surface water and groundwater in the vicinity of their gas wells. In the event that contamination is found, the gas companies would be responsible for cleaning up the mess.

Mr. Sweeney has served in the assembly for 20 years and is chair of the Environmental Conservation Committee. This is important because it means his bill has a real chance of being enacted into law. Regardless of how they may feel about gas drilling, all New Yorkers should voice their support A8784.

(Bruce Ferguson is a resident of Callicoon Center, NY.)