Contaminant confirmed at Robson Site

‘Weathered petroleum product’ found in soil

Contributed photos These photos depict an aerial view of the Robson Well site in Oregon Township, Wayne County, PA. They were supplied to The River Reporter last fall by a citizen concerned about the appearance of the trees in the lower portion of the photos. An ongoing investigation has confirmed the presence of a contaminant at the site.

By SANDY LONG

HONESDALE, PA—The presence of dead or dying trees on a Wayne County natural gas well pad site has led to an ongoing investigation of the Robson Well site on Fox Hill Road in Wayne County, PA. Initial sampling performed by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Chesapeake Appalachia, LLC, which drilled the exploratory well, has revealed contaminated soils at the site.

On October 15, the DEP collected soil samples there, confirming the presence of a “weathered petroleum product, possibly transmission oil or pump oil,” as specified in a DEP Notice of Violation (NOV) letter submitted to James E. Grey of Chesapeake Appalachia, LLC, on November 9.

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Reservoir voids would not have prevented flooding

But they might have reduced some damage

By FRITZ MAYER

RIVER VALLEY—The record floods in 2004, ’05 and ’06 have sparked an ongoing argument about whether the New York City reservoirs could have been used to mitigate the flooding in some degree, by creating voids that could hold back some of the torrential rain waters.

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Pipeline plan found flawed

‘Massive project’ needs better plan

By SANDY LONG

WAYNE AND PIKE COUNTIES, PA—An Erosion and Sediment Control (E&S) plan that will involve 17 miles and 314 acres of land disturbance in Wayne County and 15 miles and approximately 260 acres in Pike County has been reviewed by conservation district staff in each and deemed “inadequate” by both.

The Tennessee Gas Pipeline 300 Project will affect four additional counties—Susquehanna, Bradford, Tioga and Potter in Pennsylvania.

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Other stories in this issue:

• Arsenic in Honesdale water
• Gas at a glance
• A break for speeders?
• Waste user fees adopted
• Experimental windmill moves forward

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S