Whyy.org
By: Patrick Cobbs
pcobbs@whyy.org
"In Washington County, Pennsylvania, to build her dream home. It was going to be that perfect place to raise children. She and her husband have two.
Then the natural gas drillers came.
By the time the home in Mount Pleasant Township was finished, four gas wells had sprung up on neighboring parcels — along with a 4 million gallon impoundment pond to store fluids used in the drilling process known as hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking.” Nearby were also a gas pipeline compressor station, and a liquid natural gas processing plant. The facilities were operated by three separate companies.
Hallowich: So our 10 acres in the country is now 10 acres in an industrial site.
Researchers say risks may be posed by living near such a drilling site. Benzene, radioactive strontium and arsenic can come up from these wells after fracking. Natural gas itself carries very high concentrations of volatile organic chemicals.
One possible worry is air quality. The state’s Department of Environmental Protection isn’t set up to keep a close eye on air quality at all the Marcellus Shale gas sites that now dot the state." More>>>>
By: Patrick Cobbs
pcobbs@whyy.org
"In Washington County, Pennsylvania, to build her dream home. It was going to be that perfect place to raise children. She and her husband have two.
Then the natural gas drillers came.
By the time the home in Mount Pleasant Township was finished, four gas wells had sprung up on neighboring parcels — along with a 4 million gallon impoundment pond to store fluids used in the drilling process known as hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking.” Nearby were also a gas pipeline compressor station, and a liquid natural gas processing plant. The facilities were operated by three separate companies.
Hallowich: So our 10 acres in the country is now 10 acres in an industrial site.
Researchers say risks may be posed by living near such a drilling site. Benzene, radioactive strontium and arsenic can come up from these wells after fracking. Natural gas itself carries very high concentrations of volatile organic chemicals.
One possible worry is air quality. The state’s Department of Environmental Protection isn’t set up to keep a close eye on air quality at all the Marcellus Shale gas sites that now dot the state." More>>>>
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The drilling fluid is filtered through agitators to remove all fragments of rock before being reused. Watching for abnormalities in the returning cuttings and volume of returning fluid are imperative to catch "kicks" (when the pressure below the bit is more than that above, causing gas and mud to come up uncontrollably) early.
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