Water Tanks Washed into Mon River
Company plans to have them removed soon
Morgantown Dominion Post
4May 2011
By Alex Lang
It is common to see trash building up behind local locks and dams, but
two 21,000-gallon tanks behind Opekiska Lock and Dam catch just about
everyone’s eye.
The two large, red containers can be seen floating among the usual
refuse beside the dam on the Monongahela River, about seven miles
northeast of Fairmont. The tanks do not block navigation or threaten
the lock’s gates, said Sheila Tunney, with the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers Pittsburgh District’s Public Affairs Office.
The tanks, which belong to Adler Tank Rentals, arrived at the dam early
April 20, Tunney said.
Adler Sales representative Mike Koziara said the tanks are brand new
and never have been used. They were intended to store fresh water
withdrawn for use in the Marcellus shale natural gas “fracking”
process. The recent heavy rains washed the tanks away before they were
put to use.
Adler will hire a company to remove the tanks, Tunney said. They
couldn’t be moved initially because the water hadn’t reached a safe
level. Now it has.
Koziara said the company hopes to remove the tanks soon.