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PULTENEY - A natural gas drilling company is proposing a facility on the west side of Keuka Lake that would dispose of wastewater by injecting it deep underground.
Chesapeake Energy plans to build the facility in the town of Pulteney, near the intersection of Armstrong Road and County Route 78, about a mile west of Keuka Lake, according to Pulteney Town Supervisor Bill Weber.
It would be located at the site of a former Chesapeake gas well on land owned by the Bergstresser family. The well, which tapped the Trenton-Black River formation, was drilled in 1997 and capped off in 1999 after it stopped producing natural gas.
Chesapeake plans to build an access road, six tanker truck unloading bays, temporary storage tanks and equipment to inject wastewater from Marcellus Shale operations in Pennsylvania and New York into the well, according to application documents submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency this fall.
The Bergstresser well is about 6,000-feet deep, well below drinking water sources and Keuka Lake, Weber said.
The state Department of Environmental Conservation will assume the role of lead agency for the project’s review, Weber said. The town’s planning board will also review the project, as a special use permit would be required under Pulteney’s zoning laws.
All documents associated with Chesapeake’s application will be available for public review at Pulteney Town Hall, and public hearings will likely be held before the project is approved, Weber said.
Weber stressed he will recuse himself from any decisions involving Chesapeake and the town, since the company he works for has a business relationship with Chesapeake.
Wastewater disposal has been a key issue as the Southern Tier prepares for the potential Marcellus Shale boom. The process used to tap the deep Marcellus formation, known as high-pressure horizontal hydraulic fracturing, of “fracking,” generates high volumes of wastewater.
There is a well-documented shortage of treatment plants in New York able to handle wastewater from the anticipated Marcellus boom. Injection wells are another disposal option used by the gas drilling industry.
The proposed Pulteney facility has generated concerns from area residents and environmental groups. Dozens of people attended Wednesday’s Pulteney Town Board meeting, and many spoke on the issue, said Hammondsport attorney and environmentalist Rachel Treichler, who attended the meeting.
Treichler said the comments reflected some of her own concerns.
Treichler, who says she has extensively studied environmental issues associated with natural gas drilling and belongs to the Steuben County Green Party and Finger Lakes Sierra Club, questioned the wisdom of disposing of wastewater so close to Keuka Lake.
Although the wastewater will be disposed of deep underground, she fears that contaminants could migrate into nearby drinking water supplies or Keuka Lake through underground cracks and fissures, she said.
Deep injection wells have been linked to environmental problems, including small earthquakes, in other parts of the country, she said. The potential for heavy truck traffic on rural roads along the Keuka Lake Wine Trail could also create problems, she added.
Chesapeake, one of the largest natural gas producers in the U.S., has a field office in Big Flats. A local representative for Chesapeake did not immediately return a message left by The Leader on Wednesday seeking further details about the project.
PULTENEY - A natural gas drilling company is proposing a facility on the west side of Keuka Lake that would dispose of wastewater by injecting it deep underground.
Chesapeake Energy plans to build the facility in the town of Pulteney, near the intersection of Armstrong Road and County Route 78, about a mile west of Keuka Lake, according to Pulteney Town Supervisor Bill Weber.
It would be located at the site of a former Chesapeake gas well on land owned by the Bergstresser family. The well, which tapped the Trenton-Black River formation, was drilled in 1997 and capped off in 1999 after it stopped producing natural gas.
Chesapeake plans to build an access road, six tanker truck unloading bays, temporary storage tanks and equipment to inject wastewater from Marcellus Shale operations in Pennsylvania and New York into the well, according to application documents submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency this fall.
The Bergstresser well is about 6,000-feet deep, well below drinking water sources and Keuka Lake, Weber said.
The state Department of Environmental Conservation will assume the role of lead agency for the project’s review, Weber said. The town’s planning board will also review the project, as a special use permit would be required under Pulteney’s zoning laws.
All documents associated with Chesapeake’s application will be available for public review at Pulteney Town Hall, and public hearings will likely be held before the project is approved, Weber said.
Weber stressed he will recuse himself from any decisions involving Chesapeake and the town, since the company he works for has a business relationship with Chesapeake.
Wastewater disposal has been a key issue as the Southern Tier prepares for the potential Marcellus Shale boom. The process used to tap the deep Marcellus formation, known as high-pressure horizontal hydraulic fracturing, of “fracking,” generates high volumes of wastewater.
There is a well-documented shortage of treatment plants in New York able to handle wastewater from the anticipated Marcellus boom. Injection wells are another disposal option used by the gas drilling industry.
The proposed Pulteney facility has generated concerns from area residents and environmental groups. Dozens of people attended Wednesday’s Pulteney Town Board meeting, and many spoke on the issue, said Hammondsport attorney and environmentalist Rachel Treichler, who attended the meeting.
Treichler said the comments reflected some of her own concerns.
Treichler, who says she has extensively studied environmental issues associated with natural gas drilling and belongs to the Steuben County Green Party and Finger Lakes Sierra Club, questioned the wisdom of disposing of wastewater so close to Keuka Lake.
Although the wastewater will be disposed of deep underground, she fears that contaminants could migrate into nearby drinking water supplies or Keuka Lake through underground cracks and fissures, she said.
Deep injection wells have been linked to environmental problems, including small earthquakes, in other parts of the country, she said. The potential for heavy truck traffic on rural roads along the Keuka Lake Wine Trail could also create problems, she added.
Chesapeake, one of the largest natural gas producers in the U.S., has a field office in Big Flats. A local representative for Chesapeake did not immediately return a message left by The Leader on Wednesday seeking further details about the project.
