UDC cites drilling concerns in comment letter

By SANDY LONG

NARROWSBURG, NY — Following considerable debate during its meeting on March 4, representatives of the 13 New York towns and Pennsylvania townships, who are members of the Upper Delaware Council (UDC), came to agree on the content of the formal letter they will submit as their comment to the Delaware River Basin Commission on two draft dockets related to Stone Energy Corporation’s siting of its Matoushek 1 natural gas well and water withdrawals in support of its drilling operations.

As the organization charged with overseeing implementation of the 1986 River Management Plan for the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River (UDSRR), the UDC works to protect the watershed areas associated with the UDSRR corridor.

In its letter, the UDC states, “We are particularly concerned about the cumulative impacts of all development and activities associated with natural gas extraction, and the potential industrialization of the watershed, as thousands of natural gas wells could be proposed in the future. There does not appear to be any master plan for all the necessary infrastructure, which could have a profound effect on the environment.”

Noting the possibility of 10,000 or more wells in the basin that could require 40 billion gallons of water for hydrofracking, the letter continues, “There is a need for a complete systematic environmental review of the full range of natural gas extraction activities that will affect the basin.”

The letter questions whether the proposed minimum pass-by flow for the withdrawal site will support the needs of aquatic life. “We find it difficult to understand why the applicant would propose a 0.7 million gallon per day water withdrawal on this small tributary at a site which represents only an 11.45 square mile drainage area, especially when there are larger water bodies closer to the well site where this water will be utilized.”

Concerns about the increased opportunities for the spread of invasive species due to the number of water withdrawals and increased truck traffic are addressed, and recommendations for limiting the time during which wastewater may be stored on site are also included.

The UDC recommends that wastewater be enclosed and not stored in open pits, and that associated facilities such as roads, parking lots and fences not be constructed in the floodplain.