‘River of the Year’ targeted for drilling water

DRBC hearing set for February 24

By SANDY LONG

WAYNE AND PIKE COUNTIES, PA — Shortly after being named Pennsylvania’s River of the Year for 2010 by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), the Lackawaxen River is receiving attention of another sort as the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) prepares to receive public comment at a hearing on February 24 in Matamoras (see page 5 for details).

The hearing will focus on two permits submitted by Stone Energy Corporation.

The first is an application for a surface water withdrawal project to supply up to 21.0 mg/30 days (0.70 mgd) of water from a withdrawal point located on the West Branch Lackawaxen River in Mount Pleasant Township, within the drainage area of the section of the Delaware River classified as Special Protection Waters (SPW).

The water will be used to support natural gas well stimulation activities in the existing Matoushek #1 well, located in Clinton Township, and in proposed natural gas wells targeting the Marcellus Shale within the SPW drainage area in Pennsylvania. Flow-back water from well stimulation activities is proposed to be exported to approved treatment facilities located outside of the Delaware River Basin.

The second is an application for approval of the Matoushek #1 natural gas well drilling pad site. The well is proposed to be stimulated through hydraulic fracturing using water obtained from the Lackawaxen’s West Branch.

River recognized

Last month, DCNR announced the selection of the Lackawaxen as “River of the Year” for its natural bounty and historical significance in shaping Northeast Pennsylvania’s ecology and communities. The river’s watershed encompasses 600 square miles across 26 municipalities in three fast-growing Northeastern counties—Pike, Lackawanna and Wayne.

DCNR acting secretary John Quigley called the river a recreational treasure renowned for its fly-fishing, canoeing and abundant bird and animal species. “The waterway also drains the forests of the Pocono Plateau, a largely rural and conservation-minded landscape where communities live closely connected to their environment,” he said.

The Lackawaxen River flows nearly 25 miles through three counties before joining the Delaware River at Lackawaxen in Pike County. The Delaware & Hudson Canal runs parallel to sections of the Lackawaxen, while Wallenpaupack Creek and the Lake Wallenpaupack Reservoir drain into the river near Hawley.

“Selecting the Lackawaxen River better enables DCNR to stress the value of healthy forests and greenways,” Quigley said. “Whether it’s educating the public on issues such as gas drilling’s impact on the environment and water resources, or touting tree-plantings, the Lackawaxen is an excellent teaching tool.”

The Lackawaxen River Conservancy, or TLRC, and its partners will organize several events throughout the year, including a paddling trip and a river cleanup in partnership with the Wayne County Historical Society. The first-ever Lackawaxen River Sojourn is being planned for June. (Visit www.lackawaxenriver.org for more information. To learn more about DCNR’s Rivers Program, visit www.dcnr.state.pa.us/brc/rivers/).

Groups respond

While it does not advocate either for or against drilling in Pike and Wayne counties, TLRC will voice its concerns about the pending dockets.

“The proposed volume of water to be withdrawn is a significant percentage of the total flow of the West Branch,” noted TLRC president Win Olsen in an email. “We are concerned about the impact this would also have on the main stem of the Lackawaxen itself. How would this affect water temperature and quality, fish and wildlife habitat along the river? Our particular concerns relate to the storage, transport and disposal of the flowback water. We would like to know the specific locations of the waste treatment facilities.

“One of the purposes of the Lackawaxen being named River of the Year is to call attention to the ongoing conservation needs and potential future threats to the river. In raising questions about the applications before the DRBC, TLRC is responding to that call.”

Members of the Northern Wayne Property Owners Alliance (NWPOA) are looking forward to a “science-based common sense approach to DRBC permit applications,” according to a statement issued by the property owners group representing approximately 1,500 member families with a collective 80,000 acres under lease with Hess Corporation and Newfield Exploration.

The group supports the applications and encourages responsible gas exploration, according to its executive director Marian Schweighofer, who provided a press release explaining the group’s position. “The hearing will be an essential and overdue first step if the commission focuses on good and verifiable scientific evidence rather than political pressures as the basis for the permitting process policies,” the statement reads.

“Alliance leaseholds will need permits of their own from the DRBC before development of our lands can progress,” it continues. “We’re pleased that an operator in our area wants to collect additional data about the gas resource that may underlay all our lands. In order to assess the potential of that resource in an area as large as Wayne County and with the geologic diversity that is theorized, it is imperative that additional science-based information be gathered.

“Landowners and industry have a vested interest in safe operations that have due regard for the environment. The NWPOA will be watching closely the DRBC permitting process as it evolves, with anticipation that common sense will prevail and the assessment of our potential resource will go forward.”

Details on the DRBC hearing

The hearing will take place on Wednesday, February 24 from 3:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at the Best Western Inn at Hunt’s Landing, 126 Routes 6 and 209 in Matamoras. Registration to present oral testimony will begin at approximately 2:30 p.m. and continue throughout. Testimony is limited to three minutes. Speakers will not be permitted to cede their time to others. The commissioners and staff will not respond to comments at the hearing, nor will they conduct any other business that day.

Written comments will be accepted until 5:00 p.m. on March 12 and may be sent via email to Paula.Schmitt@ drbc.state.nj.us; or to the attention of the Commission Secretary, DRBC, by fax to 609/883-9522; U.S. mail to P.O. Box 7360, West Trenton, NJ 08628-0360. Comments should include the name, affiliation (if any) and address of the commenter and the subject line “Public Comment – Stone Energy Dockets.” Additional information is available on the commission’s website at www.drbc.net or by contacting Paula Schmitt at 609/477-7224 or Katharine O’Hara at 609/477-7205.