Fracking Ohio state parks
mikie
Posted 2/2/2023 5:40 PM (#1017599)
Subject: Fracking Ohio state parks





Location: Athens, Ohio
In a lame duck session a couple weeks ago, the Repub-led legislature passed a revision to a law that now REQUIRES (formerly 'allows') any state agency (ODNR) to lease land for fracking. There are NO public comment requirements in the law, which our Gov never should have signed.
Salt Fork state park is one of the state's largest and sits in the midst of a three county oil and gas pocket. It's got prime sized muskies in the lake and clean watersheds.
Right now there is a rule being considered to require at least a public notice - still not a comment period where the agency has to account for its action.
Muskie stocking program lakes like West Branch, Cowan, Cesars Creek and a few other parks could be next. I'm thinking muskies won't like the noise much. m

https://www.nbc4i.com/news/local-news/columbus/odnr-tackles-fracking...

Edited by mikie 2/2/2023 5:49 PM
Twinkle-Toes
Posted 2/2/2023 6:53 PM (#1017600 - in reply to #1017599)
Subject: Re: Fracking Ohio state parks




Posts: 64


Unfortunately money talks. PA has been destroyed by the fracking and even on public lands. Wish more states would have put a moratorium on it like NY did so early. Best decision they could have made to keep their wildlife and habitats healthy.
Top H2O
Posted 2/3/2023 12:09 PM (#1017614 - in reply to #1017600)
Subject: Re: Fracking Ohio state parks




Posts: 4080


Location: Elko - Lake Vermilion
Really ?? Huh ?
Do you guys actually believe that Fracking is going to kill your Muskies?
Ban all fishing worldwide if you want to protect the fish.
I wonder how many guys here have killed fish.... I'd bet that Everyone here has.
Fish are no way at risk because of fracking.
Sheeesh !
Solitario Lupo
Posted 2/3/2023 1:10 PM (#1017615 - in reply to #1017599)
Subject: Re: Fracking Ohio state parks





Location: PA Angler
This sucks. Already ruined a couple creeks I fished for trout. Out NW PA. Ohio state park is a very beautiful place now fracking is going to destroy some of those places.
CincySkeez
Posted 2/3/2023 1:29 PM (#1017616 - in reply to #1017614)
Subject: Re: Fracking Ohio state parks





Posts: 600


Location: Duluth
Top H2O - 2/3/2023 12:09 PM

Really ?? Huh ?
Do you guys actually believe that Fracking is going to kill your Muskies?
Ban all fishing worldwide if you want to protect the fish.
I wonder how many guys here have killed fish.... I'd bet that Everyone here has.
Fish are no way at risk because of fracking.
Sheeesh !


Fracking is great for water quality, yep.

Your other points are totally irrelevant.
chuckski
Posted 2/3/2023 1:59 PM (#1017618 - in reply to #1017599)
Subject: Re: Fracking Ohio state parks




Posts: 1217


They frack walking distance from my home. They are not good neighbours it's can be loud at all times of the day. It can screw up water quality and the sky used to be Colorado blue. We need the oil and fact of the matter there's very few places where you have pools of oil so you have to frack. There are things the oil companies can do to made it a cleaner process but it cost them money. We do have stricter rules then most states but the companies don't follow the rules all the time. It also can cause earthquakes.
ToddM
Posted 2/3/2023 2:43 PM (#1017621 - in reply to #1017618)
Subject: Re: Fracking Ohio state parks





Posts: 20181


Location: oswego, il
chuckski - 2/3/2023 1:59 PM

They frack walking distance from my home. They are not good neighbours it's can be loud at all times of the day. It can screw up water quality and the sky used to be Colorado blue. We need the oil and fact of the matter there's very few places where you have pools of oil so you have to frack. There are things the oil companies can do to made it a cleaner process but it cost them money. We do have stricter rules then most states but the companies don't follow the rules all the time. It also can cause earthquakes.


It could be worse you could live by a feed lot.
Top H2O
Posted 2/3/2023 3:53 PM (#1017624 - in reply to #1017616)
Subject: Re: Fracking Ohio state parks




Posts: 4080


Location: Elko - Lake Vermilion
CincySkeez - 2/3/2023 1:29 PM

Top H2O - 2/3/2023 12:09 PM

Really ?? Huh ?
Do you guys actually believe that Fracking is going to kill your Muskies?
Ban all fishing worldwide if you want to protect the fish.
I wonder how many guys here have killed fish.... I'd bet that Everyone here has.
Fish are no way at risk because of fracking.
Sheeesh !


Fracking is great for water quality, yep.

Your other points are totally irrelevant.


How many Muskies has fracking Killed ? That's my point.
How many muskies have you killed ? That's my point.
TCESOX
Posted 2/3/2023 4:37 PM (#1017625 - in reply to #1017624)
Subject: Re: Fracking Ohio state parks





Posts: 1191


Top H2O - 2/3/2023 3:53 PM

CincySkeez - 2/3/2023 1:29 PM

Top H2O - 2/3/2023 12:09 PM

Really ?? Huh ?
Do you guys actually believe that Fracking is going to kill your Muskies?
Ban all fishing worldwide if you want to protect the fish.
I wonder how many guys here have killed fish.... I'd bet that Everyone here has.
Fish are no way at risk because of fracking.
Sheeesh !


Fracking is great for water quality, yep.

Your other points are totally irrelevant.


How many Muskies has fracking Killed ? That's my point.
How many muskies have you killed ? That's my point.


How many muskies live where there is fracking?
How many muskies have people killed where there is fracking?
Answer is probably zero, to both.
curdmudgeon
Posted 2/3/2023 5:25 PM (#1017626 - in reply to #1017599)
Subject: Re: Fracking Ohio state parks





Posts: 116


Winternet, enjoy it while it lasts.
curdmudgeon
Posted 2/3/2023 6:45 PM (#1017627 - in reply to #1017626)
Subject: Re: Fracking Ohio state parks





Posts: 116


to add: both sides have good points but not really fishing related.
Ranger
Posted 2/4/2023 11:41 AM (#1017633 - in reply to #1017599)
Subject: Re: Fracking Ohio state parks





Posts: 3791


Naw, it is fishing related. Deal is, every time we make changes to certain parts of a biological system those changes ripple thru the entire system. If we are careful stewards of the environment, if the long-term prosperity of the environment is our highest priority, then we would carefully and fully study the short and long-term systemic impact created by our project. As in, environmental impact studies.

Consider that documentary titled Evan Almighty narrated by Steve Carell (2007). You better believe a bunch of fish were killed when that #*^@ dam broke.

The struggle is ever short-term profit vs long-term prosperity. The profiteers are the guys who raid the systems. The losers are the critters and people who rely on the systems and face failures created by the profiteers who are either long gone or ready to fight with a legal war chest, part of the profits don'tchaknow.
mikie
Posted 2/4/2023 5:57 PM (#1017638 - in reply to #1017599)
Subject: Re: Fracking Ohio state parks





Location: Athens, Ohio
Perhaps this article will add some perspective. Drilling is not a silent activity. While the vibrations may not kill fish, the racket caused by drilling will certainly disturb the otherwise serine park in which I find respite in fishing.
Also, when the state goes into the lease business, companies usually can get quite a good deal, which places adjacent landholders at a competitive disadvantage.
m

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/contributors/2023/01/22/opi...

Edited by mikie 2/4/2023 6:00 PM
chuckski
Posted 2/5/2023 11:55 AM (#1017656 - in reply to #1017599)
Subject: Re: Fracking Ohio state parks




Posts: 1217


I grew up in in oil rich southern California back in the 60's when there were still orange groves in Orange County. There were fields to ride our bikes and have rock fights, before they would built a tract of houses they would check for oil. When my parents bought the house we live in now there was no fracking, they found oil and started fracking. Since then Colorado has made rules to have off sets from neighborhoods and schools. There are now homes where the loud fracking was. A couple years ago two people got vaporised changing a water heater and a old gas well down the street leaked and leveled there home.
Top H2O
Posted 2/10/2023 12:48 PM (#1017847 - in reply to #1017599)
Subject: Re: Fracking Ohio state parks




Posts: 4080


Location: Elko - Lake Vermilion
no offence taken; I have thick skin.

I also work in the fossil fuels industry and understand that Fracking has NEVER killed a Muskie .. ever ! never will.
The FACT that the U.S. has the most stringent Enviromental Laws/policies on the Planet.
The idea that you "Green" people think that You can control the climate while country's like China, Russia, India, Africa, Venezuela, ect. spew millions of tons of crap into the air and water daily are well... Ignorance.
Perhaps speak out against countries that are dumping tons and tons of human generated garbage in the Ocean and not following The U.S. or our Enviromental policies.

America can't afford to lose really good paying jobs because of the lack of knowledge of those people pushing the wasteful green agenda/spending B.S.
miket55
Posted 2/10/2023 6:34 PM (#1017864 - in reply to #1017599)
Subject: Re: Fracking Ohio state parks




Posts: 1212


Location: E. Tenn
Like so many other issues out there, misinformation is rampant.. There was a company who wanted to start fracking in rural SW Virginia, just a few miles away from where I live. Local opposition almost immediately reached a fever pitch, and each side was offered air time on one of the local TV channels to make their case.

I remember one of the topics discussed, was about the chemicals used, and their effects on people, and the environment. The profrackers all but claimed you could drink the stuff, while the opposition's position was "you'll die if you even look at it".

I don't think much in the way of factual information came out of it, but the company realized they were not at all welcome in the area, and quietly left without drilling a single hole..

Edited by miket55 2/10/2023 6:38 PM
Twinkle-Toes
Posted 2/10/2023 6:39 PM (#1017865 - in reply to #1017599)
Subject: Re: Fracking Ohio state parks




Posts: 64


Ahh yep, now it all makes sense. Working in the fossil fuel industries and all. Appreciate your response but from watching my buddies light their well water on fire and watching bubbles come up into the Susquehanna and a neighboring creek sure as hell seems like it could cause some issues. And even if its not hte fracking directly, all the chemicals and all they are pumping into the water table to crack the rocks... well thats gotta go somewhere and i'm sure they won't exactly filter out or do any harm to our water table and the springs all over... but again, working for the industry its obvious to see your stand won't ever change. IT's whoever lines your pockets to most... same as you.

ADMIN: Kepp your comments on subject and don't go personal if you want to have your post stay up.
CincySkeez
Posted 2/10/2023 7:21 PM (#1017867 - in reply to #1017847)
Subject: Re: Fracking Ohio state parks





Posts: 600


Location: Duluth
Top H2O - 2/10/2023 12:48 PM
America can't afford to lose really good paying jobs because of the lack of knowledge of those people pushing the wasteful green agenda/spending B.S.


^^^There's your real argument. Short sighted, but at least motives are clear.

The amount of oil that the US should extract should be just enough to keep up with current technology, the rest should stay in the ground. Every barrel of imported oil is our advantage in the future.

Let everyone else pump their oil, deplete their resources, natural and capital, chasing short term goals. Hydrocarbons are here to stay, no doubt about that, but they need to be managed on a strategic level....not the main input for all of industrial production. It's not like we can just up and liquify more organic matter, takes time for the earth to create the stuff...but you already know this.

What does this have to do with fishing? Well Ranger already said.
kdawg
Posted 2/10/2023 9:25 PM (#1017868 - in reply to #1017867)
Subject: Re: Fracking Ohio state parks




Posts: 736


So let me try to get this right. The last three guys who posted know more about the industry than TopH20, the guy who actually works in the industry? Yeah, sure. Kdawg
mikie
Posted 2/11/2023 9:14 AM (#1017873 - in reply to #1017599)
Subject: Re: Fracking Ohio state parks





Location: Athens, Ohio
IMHO, the 'industry' is running scared of the Green New Deal. Look how they jacked up gas prices right before midterm elections. They want to grab every drop they can get before the demand changes. I'd prefer to leave the resource in the ground at public parks.
aND, btw fracking fluid releases DID kill muskies in WV's Dunkard Creek in a spill.
" During the next month about 22,000 fish washed ashore (some estimates say as many as 65,000 died). At least 14 species of freshwater mussels - the river's entire population - were destroyed, wiping out nearly every aquatic species along a 35-mile stretch of Dunkard Creek. "That's the ultimate tragedy," says Frank Jernejcic, a fisheries biologist with the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources. "Fish will come back, we can get the fish back. The mussels are a generational thing."

The scene was horrific: Many of the fish were bleeding from the gills and covered in mucous; mud puppies, a kind of gilled salamander that lives underwater, had tried to escape by crawling onto nearby rocks; three-foot long muskies washed up along the riverbanks. The die-off marked one of the worst ecological disasters in the region's history. m

chuckski
Posted 2/11/2023 9:48 AM (#1017880 - in reply to #1017599)
Subject: Re: Fracking Ohio state parks




Posts: 1217


I've spent a lot of years heading North to fish (50 of my 62 years) but I've lived half my live in California and half in Colorado there used to be fire season! There is no longer fire season it's all year long. There was a article in the paper that the oil companies knew that burning oil caused global warming. Well in 1979/1980 I started college a took a science class and the instructor warned us of global warming. (he was a older guy) "not in my life time but probably in yours" He was a retired oil company geologist. Whatever the cause the ice cap's at the poles are shrinking. Like when we go camping when the ice is gone the beer gets warm in a hurry.
North of 8
Posted 2/11/2023 11:08 AM (#1017884 - in reply to #1017880)
Subject: Re: Fracking Ohio state parks




Something like 90% of petroleum extracted in the lower 48 involves at least some fracking according to the stories I could find. So, as long as we are dependent on oil, we need to find a way to minimize the problems it creates. To deny there are problems is head in the sand thinking. But, we can't deny the need for it either. A lot of times, making it more environmentally friendly means higher costs and if we want a cleaner environment, it is a cost we will need to pay as consumers. As an old guy, I remember when the clean water bills were being debated in congress in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The paper mills in WI declared it was too expensive to clean up their act and wanted congress to declare the Wis. River and the Fox River "Industrial Rivers", meaning they could keep pumping pollutants into the river. But, when the bill passed, they found ways to clean things up and some of the better capitalized companies actually embraced the new rules because it created another barrier to entry for companies wanting to get into the paper business.
miket55
Posted 2/12/2023 10:12 PM (#1017932 - in reply to #1017868)
Subject: Re: Fracking Ohio state parks




Posts: 1212


Location: E. Tenn
kdawg - 2/10/2023 10:25 PM

So let me try to get this right. The last three guys who posted know more about the industry than TopH20, the guy who actually works in the industry? Yeah, sure. Kdawg


Umm..no, and never claimed to.. just simply shared a news story from my area..
kdawg
Posted 2/13/2023 7:36 AM (#1017937 - in reply to #1017932)
Subject: Re: Fracking Ohio state parks




Posts: 736


miket55 - 2/12/2023 10:12 PM

kdawg - 2/10/2023 10:25 PM

So let me try to get this right. The last three guys who posted know more about the industry than TopH20, the guy who actually works in the industry? Yeah, sure. Kdawg


Umm..no, and never claimed to.. just simply shared a news story from my area..
Already figured that. And considering the credibility of today's media, I'll believe the employee with first hand knowledge every time. Kdawg
North of 8
Posted 2/13/2023 8:14 AM (#1017939 - in reply to #1017937)
Subject: Re: Fracking Ohio state parks




kdawg - 2/13/2023 7:36 AM

miket55 - 2/12/2023 10:12 PM

kdawg - 2/10/2023 10:25 PM

So let me try to get this right. The last three guys who posted know more about the industry than TopH20, the guy who actually works in the industry? Yeah, sure. Kdawg


Umm..no, and never claimed to.. just simply shared a news story from my area..
Already figured that. And considering the credibility of today's media, I'll believe the employee with first hand knowledge every time. Kdawg


So, forty years ago you would have believed the scientists working for tobacco companies who said cigarettes were harmless? Can't get much more first-hand knowledge of an industry than that.
kdawg
Posted 2/13/2023 8:20 AM (#1017940 - in reply to #1017939)
Subject: Re: Fracking Ohio state parks




Posts: 736


North of 8 - 2/13/2023 8:14 AM

kdawg - 2/13/2023 7:36 AM

miket55 - 2/12/2023 10:12 PM

kdawg - 2/10/2023 10:25 PM

So let me try to get this right. The last three guys who posted know more about the industry than TopH20, the guy who actually works in the industry? Yeah, sure. Kdawg


Umm..no, and never claimed to.. just simply shared a news story from my area..
Already figured that. And considering the credibility of today's media, I'll believe the employee with first hand knowledge every time. Kdawg


So, forty years ago you would have believed the scientists working for tobacco companies who said cigarettes were harmless? Can't get much more first-hand knowledge of an industry than that.[/QUOTEYes you can, from actual individuals that I knew suffering from lung cancer caused from smoking. Kdawg
North of 8
Posted 2/13/2023 11:43 AM (#1017954 - in reply to #1017940)
Subject: Re: Fracking Ohio state parks




kdawg - 2/13/2023 8:20 AM

North of 8 - 2/13/2023 8:14 AM

kdawg - 2/13/2023 7:36 AM

miket55 - 2/12/2023 10:12 PM

kdawg - 2/10/2023 10:25 PM

So let me try to get this right. The last three guys who posted know more about the industry than TopH20, the guy who actually works in the industry? Yeah, sure. Kdawg


Umm..no, and never claimed to.. just simply shared a news story from my area..
Already figured that. And considering the credibility of today's media, I'll believe the employee with first hand knowledge every time. Kdawg


So, forty years ago you would have believed the scientists working for tobacco companies who said cigarettes were harmless? Can't get much more first-hand knowledge of an industry than that.[/QUOTEYes you can, from actual individuals that I knew suffering from lung cancer caused from smoking. Kdawg


But, the scientists that worked for the tobacco companies said it didn't cause cancer and you said you trust first hand knowledge. My point is that sometimes, the least trustworthy sources are those within the industry, who have something to hide.
esoxaddict
Posted 2/13/2023 2:04 PM (#1017960 - in reply to #1017599)
Subject: Re: Fracking Ohio state parks





Posts: 8729


I was working on projects for BP and Exxon Mobil way back when they introduced the Deep Water Horizon drilling rig. According to everyone in the industry at the time it was going to be the safest drilling rig ever put into service.
North of 8
Posted 2/13/2023 4:07 PM (#1017965 - in reply to #1017960)
Subject: Re: Fracking Ohio state parks




Exxon's executives have long tried to convince congress that fossil fuels are not a problem, yet it has now been revealed that their own scientists saw the impact of burning fossil fuels on green house gases and the impact on climate change as early as the late 1970s.
My sister has lived in Alaska for 40 years and her degree was in Earth Sciences. She said she wonderes if the oil industry actually liked the idea of climate change because so much of oil reserves left in Alaska are above the artic circle, and that is the area that has seen the most impact of climate change. Some areas in northern Alaska have seen an 8 degree increase in average temps in the last 25 years. She readily admits that is just wild speculation.
sworrall
Posted 2/13/2023 5:15 PM (#1017970 - in reply to #1017599)
Subject: Re: Fracking Ohio state parks





Posts: 32806


Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin
I think everyone here would agree that we are going to be totally dependent on fossil fuels for a while yet. The alternatives, though attractive sounding, all have their own opportunity costs both to the environment and the economy and not one is realistic given the economic and social adjustments necessary. I doubt I'll live long enough to see much real global change, so how about we not call each other names over this?

No one here has the magic bullet.
kdawg
Posted 2/13/2023 6:33 PM (#1017979 - in reply to #1017970)
Subject: Re: Fracking Ohio state parks




Posts: 736


Copy that , Steve. Kdawg
Top H2O
Posted 2/13/2023 6:48 PM (#1017980 - in reply to #1017965)
Subject: Re: Fracking Ohio state parks




Posts: 4080


Location: Elko - Lake Vermilion
Mikie
Just read an interesting article; in Earth Island Journal...What killed Dunkard Creek, here's what it said.
" Consol Energy Coal mines had been discharging waste directly into Dunkard Creek as the cause of the algae bloom (sulfide's) & fish kill not Fracking."
By the way, fracking does not produce sulfides, which is what Dunkard Creek had extremely high levels of.
Pa. and WV. Enviromental agencies concluded that the algae (Golden Algae) bloom was largely the result of acid mining, not Fracking.
Wv. Department of Enviromental Protection..."The Dunkard issue is mine water, everything we've got points to mining discharge.
The agencies also state near the end of the article that fracking wastewater nearby was illegally dumped by a very Shaddy trucking company.
These company's executives should be held liable and should be in jail!

I'm all for clean air & water even though you guys think that I am some sort of a anti-environment industrialist.

I'm just saying that I have worked (still do) at very heavy industrial sites all across the U.S. and know first-hand what they do to protect our environment... If they don't follow the laws of the land, then they should be punished accordingly.
chuckski
Posted 2/14/2023 2:15 PM (#1018004 - in reply to #1017599)
Subject: Re: Fracking Ohio state parks




Posts: 1217


Today's Engineer's are working on all kinds of things for when the day comes when we have no or very little oil, but it takes time for the technologies to come together. By the time this stuff is in everyday use we'll be long gone. In the mean time there will be some growing pains. Like when they used Whales for oil (like in the book Moby Dick) by the time Whales were being hunted down we found crude oil.
muddymusky
Posted 2/14/2023 3:25 PM (#1018007 - in reply to #1018004)
Subject: Re: Fracking Ohio state parks




Posts: 560


chuckski - 2/14/2023 2:15 PM

Today's Engineer's are working on all kinds of things for when the day comes when we have no or very little oil, but it takes time for the technologies to come together. By the time this stuff is in everyday use we'll be long gone. In the mean time there will be some growing pains. Like when they used Whales for oil (like in the book Moby Dick) by the time Whales were being hunted down we found crude oil.


Speaking of whales, the offshore wind farms are doing a number on them. There is a cost to all energy.
tomyv1
Posted 2/16/2023 10:01 AM (#1018102 - in reply to #1017599)
Subject: RE: Fracking Ohio state parks




Posts: 9


Hello all. Mikie, it's been awhile!

I would like to preface this with a few things:

1. I have worked in the natural gas drilling industry for about 15 years.
2. I "cut my teeth" fishing muskies on Dunkard Creek as I grew up in the area.
3. I have a masters degree in energy management.

Also it's important to know that I am a businessman, not a scientist. I just wanted to provide some insight to the truth as i know it.

A couple points about fracking overall:
1. Is it "green" energy, nope, absolutely not.
2. Has it gotten better over time? Yes.

Fossill fuel development is a necessary evil. In regards to fracking I think an overall fight against the practice is misguided. It's abundantly clear that it is here to stay at least for awhile. I see "fracking" as a general term when used from an environmental standpoint.

The ugly about fracking:
1. Flowback/produced water: This was and still is in some capacity a huge issue early in on in shale development. "Flowback Pits" were utilized early on, however it was found that the hoses inside of the pits would flop around, literally putting a hold in the liner, causing leaks and contamination. This has been largely addressed from a regulatory standpoint and pits are no longer utilized for produced water, sealed tanks are now used.

2. Flaring: As someone who never thought much about it I can say that after standing near a well that was being flared, it is absolutely toxic and should not happen. This has largely been addressed and flaring is only used in emergency situations now (I think).

3. Earthquakes: This is not actually caused from fracking so much as the use of injection wells. It is my understanding that injecting the produced water downhole can actually lubricate the plates. Again I am not a scientist...

The point i am attempting to make is that it is not necessarily fracking so much as the practices and processes adopted by the industry and regulatory agencies. And it is my opinion that the current biggest challenge is dealing with the produced water. Something that is currently being developed is the treatment of produced water as a monetary asset by removing by products (lithium) from treating the produced water. This is very exciting because it is potentially a huge environmental win, a way to monetize the treatment of the water, and there is a huge need for those by products/rare earth elements. Both Penn State University and West Virginia University are conducting extensive research in this area as not only a potential produced water solution but also as a way to treat coal waste economically. This would be a huge win for the environment as the entirety of Appalachia suffers from AMD pollution in our waterways from previous coal mining operations. This would also reduce our dependence on China for those rare earth elements.

Dunkard Creek: Again, THE TRUTH AS I KNOW IT

I have spent countless hours on Dunkard Creek and anyone who knows much about me knows that I have a special fondness of the place. However that entire area has suffered greatly from decades of fossil fuel development which is ongoing and won't be stopping anytime soon.

Previous to the massive fish kill on Dunkard there were extensive AMD issues so far as the lower portions of the creek were regularly orange. A number of these had been addressed by the Dunkard Creek Watershed association as well as the WV and PA DEP. I know that at least one AMD treatment site was installed previous to the fish kill and the water quality I believe was benefiting substantially. Things were looking up for Dunkard.

Then the fish kill happened. I remember I was sitting at my desk as a corporate slug when I heard the news and immediately stood up, looked at my boss, told her what happened and stated "if this was us, I quit." But it wasn't.

So this is the TRUTH AS I KNOW IT about what happened at Dunkard creek and what could have prevented it:

There was not in fact one event that caused this. There was a perfect storm. In order for the algae that was in Dunkard Creek to bloom, there needed to be a very high level of sulphides/chlorides (I don't know the correct term, not a scientist.) AND THE ALGAE NEEDED TO GET INTO THE WATERSHED IN THE FIRST PLACE. There was/is also an injection well very close to Dunkard Creek as well as multiple untreated AMD discharges.

Here is my version of the events that actually took place to cause this.

The natural gas companies were utilizing Dunkard Creek as a water resource for their fracking operations. The way this takes place is very simple, a tanker truck pulls up, sticks its hose in, and fills the truck. They use the fresh water to frack the well.

The algae that caused the fish kill had previously only been found in Texas. This makes me think of the countless times pulling up to a lake and having my trailer/boat checked for invasive weeds. IMO clearly a truck from Texas was used in the Dunkard Creek watershed (and there were are a lot of them) that had previously been used in Texas, and never washed. It is that simple in my opinion and experience.

So now the algae is in the watershed, which already has high levels of AMD. But not nearly high enough to cause what happened.

This next portion is absolutely rumor, non-conclusive THE TRUTH AS I KNOW IT.

After the algae is in the watershed, there was a shut down of the injection well. I don't necessarily believe it was shut down because there were any problems, I believe it could have been shut down for a number of simple reasons and really just don't know.

There was a local businessman/trucking company hauling produced water to that injection well. I believe there may have been tension between the parties, but in any case it is possible that very simply the produced water was dumped directly into the creek, causing the huge spike in sulfides etc. Leading to the fish kill.

So was this caused by fracking, coal mining, or poor stewardship. I guess the only answer is yes to all. That being said prior to fracking, the creek was in despair from mining. Fracking isn't awesome from an environmental standpoint but the green solutions just aren't realistic to me on the scale that is necessary. And the reality is switching from coal to gas has reduced emissions, however the coal mining industry is alive and well exporting to China.

So the world we live in needs real solutions that can be achieved with a little more common sense and a lot less politics. I am generally not a regulation guy, but more regulation/oversight of a few simple processes as well as science and capitalism could provide viable long term solutions.

I will remove myself from my soap box now.



North of 8
Posted 2/16/2023 10:14 AM (#1018105 - in reply to #1018102)
Subject: Re: Fracking Ohio state parks




I think a lot of environmental "disasters" occur when companies cut corners, do not follow their own stated procedures. The recent 500,000 gallon Keystone pipeline spill and the massive spill in the Kalamazoo area were not detected by the systems the companies claim to have in place. Not until someone actually observed the spill was action taken. The Kalamazoo spill went on for hours. There were supposed to be systems in place that would detect and stop such an occurrence. Nope.
I don't know what the alternative is but when folks talk about the safety of the pipelines, I encourage them to look at the overhead photos of the Kalamazoo spill.
And for years there has been an ongoing fight over the massive pipelines that go along the bottom in the straits of Mackinaw. They are old, the sand on which they once rested has eroded and now big sections are unsupported. If they crack, the great lakes are going to see damage unlike anything before. All comes down to money. The state would like to see them run in a tunnel under the straits, company feels this is unnecessary and far too expensive.
Top H2O
Posted 2/16/2023 10:24 AM (#1018106 - in reply to #1018102)
Subject: RE: Fracking Ohio state parks




Posts: 4080


Location: Elko - Lake Vermilion
Tomyv1,

very well put and informative.
Thanks for having a commonsense approach to life.
Jeff78
Posted 2/16/2023 10:34 AM (#1018107 - in reply to #1017599)
Subject: Re: Fracking Ohio state parks





Posts: 1660


Location: central Wisconsin
How about the disaster that's happening in Ohio? Railway, not pipelines or fracking. Very hard to find much coverage of this from our anti pipeline media and current government.
tomyv1
Posted 2/16/2023 11:23 AM (#1018111 - in reply to #1018107)
Subject: Re: Fracking Ohio state parks




Posts: 9


All I can say about what is happening in East Palestine is that it seems to be being managed by bafoons. There HAD to be a better way to manage the situation. Anyone remember the old "ACID RAIN" days....that's what I think about when I see what's happening in Ohio. However it still begs the question what happened to all the acid rain???? They must have taken care of that when they invented the internet.

Time to put down the computer!
sworrall
Posted 2/16/2023 1:29 PM (#1018118 - in reply to #1017599)
Subject: Re: Fracking Ohio state parks





Posts: 32806


Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin
I think the acid rain scare was a projection that turned out to be less threatening than originally thought. I was involved in a portion of that in the study phase during testing and sampling. A lot, I believe, of the issue was removed by cleaning up industrial and civilian emissions significantly. We are not anywhere near projections from the early stages of research.
tomyv1
Posted 2/16/2023 3:51 PM (#1018125 - in reply to #1018118)
Subject: Re: Fracking Ohio state parks




Posts: 9


Steve, I agree with your assessment there. Do you think that could be a possibility with the east Palestine Ohio situation?
sworrall
Posted 2/16/2023 5:02 PM (#1018129 - in reply to #1017599)
Subject: Re: Fracking Ohio state parks





Posts: 32806


Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin
That's a total train wreck.

Sorry, couldn't resist.
TCESOX
Posted 2/16/2023 7:16 PM (#1018133 - in reply to #1017599)
Subject: Re: Fracking Ohio state parks





Posts: 1191


Thanks tomyv1. Very cogent.
chuckski
Posted 2/17/2023 6:00 PM (#1018174 - in reply to #1017599)
Subject: Re: Fracking Ohio state parks




Posts: 1217


Acid Rain was a big problem in the 70's in Quebec and New York and some other parts of eastern U.S. They knew what caused it and cleaned it up. I know of one instant of Acid Rain in the Vilas/Onieda area back in the 70's, I think it was a late season rain. Turned out ok with a lot of lakes in the area having moving water (AKA a lake chain/ river system)
Going back to energy if we look back 500 years ago there are places in Europe where you could not find a tree or stick of wood to save your life (everything got burnt for cooking and staying warm) Then when the Europeans come over the native peoples were 500-600 years behind technologically wise. They did not have adapt with all the natural resources. So today we have to change but easier said then done. The mother of invention will have to kick in.
tomyv1
Posted 2/22/2023 10:57 AM (#1018280 - in reply to #1018133)
Subject: Re: Fracking Ohio state parks




Posts: 9


Interesting read regarding AMD clean up and how extensive and complex the issues are in this area.

https://www.dep.pa.gov/OurCommonWealth/Pages/Article.aspx?post=92

https://www.energy.gov/fecm/funding-notice-bipartisan-infrastructure...

If the university studies successfully provide data points toward commercial viability of removing rare earth elements from the treatment of AMD water, funding would be much less of an issue as the sites would be profitable and at the same time helping solve what I believe is the biggest issue facing our streams and rivers in Appalachia.

Edited by tomyv1 2/22/2023 11:15 AM
tomyv1
Posted 2/22/2023 11:31 AM (#1018284 - in reply to #1017980)
Subject: Re: Fracking Ohio state parks




Posts: 9


https://spillhero.com/pennsylvania-man-pleads-guilty-to-illegal-dump...

https://www.timesonline.com/story/news/local/2013/02/12/marcellus-go...

Also not mentioned is that his step-daughter committed suicide over the "mess ," I would not be so rude to mention this except for it is part of the decision for such a light sentence handed down by the local judge, who has now been removed due to his own "messes." Mr. Shipman however lives a quiet and wealthy life in what is essentially a mansion in a quiet "holler" on the WV border which was built on my families original "homestead." We aren't friends.

One more and I am done I promise:
https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/gwire/2011/10/12/12green...


Edited by tomyv1 2/22/2023 12:04 PM
North of 8
Posted 2/22/2023 11:40 AM (#1018285 - in reply to #1018118)
Subject: Re: Fracking Ohio state parks




sworrall - 2/16/2023 1:29 PM

I think the acid rain scare was a projection that turned out to be less threatening than originally thought. I was involved in a portion of that in the study phase during testing and sampling. A lot, I believe, of the issue was removed by cleaning up industrial and civilian emissions significantly. We are not anywhere near projections from the early stages of research.


Once the problem was identified, steps were taken. Got a reminder of this past weekend up in Marquette, MI. On the upper harbor, all that remains of what was once one of the largest coal fired power plants in the Mid West is the concrete slab and footings. It is jarring if you were familiar with the plant. I rented a nearby house across the street from Lake Superior for about 18 months and drove or jogged past the plant every day. Later, one of my neighbors was the managing engineer for the plant. But, it was old and the emissions were so bad they tore it down. When operating, one story said acidification of lakes in Canada could be traced back to that plant. Something to do with jet streams?
Slamr
Posted 2/23/2023 12:56 PM (#1018311 - in reply to #1017599)
Subject: Re: Fracking Ohio state parks





Posts: 7010


Location: Northwest Chicago Burbs
Can someone just tell Tomyv1 to get the #*^@ boat, get his poopy ready to fish, and figure out when we're going?

Frack this. Let's fish.
Slamr
Posted 2/23/2023 1:28 PM (#1018314 - in reply to #1017599)
Subject: Re: Fracking Ohio state parks





Posts: 7010


Location: Northwest Chicago Burbs
And if anyone is wondering, I never say the word "poopy". Stupid filtering software.
tomyv1
Posted 2/23/2023 1:36 PM (#1018315 - in reply to #1018314)
Subject: Re: Fracking Ohio state parks




Posts: 9


On fire! Must fish soon...
Slamr
Posted 2/23/2023 2:01 PM (#1018316 - in reply to #1018315)
Subject: Re: Fracking Ohio state parks





Posts: 7010


Location: Northwest Chicago Burbs
tomyv1 - 2/23/2023 1:36 PM

On fire! Must fish soon...


Buying next Kayak next week. Will be rigged a week after. Come here, we chase trouts or muskies or whatevers.
tomyv1
Posted 2/24/2023 8:11 AM (#1018332 - in reply to #1018316)
Subject: Re: Fracking Ohio state parks




Posts: 9


Nothing to worry about we will just inject it downhole......

https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/special-reports/train-derailment/o...