Investigation Into Fish Kill Continues


Washington, PA Observer-Reporter
19 September 2009

By Bob Niedbala, Staff writer, niedbala@observer-reporter.com

Fish and other aquatic life continue to die in Dunkard Creek as state and federal environmental agencies work to determine the cause.

Kathy Cosco, spokeswoman for the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, said Friday that investigators continue to find dead fish in the creek.

One new location dead fish were found, she said, is about 11/2 miles upstream from the Blacksville No. 2 Mine discharge, which earlier was considered a possible source of the pollution.

The mine was believed to have been a source because of high levels of total dissolved solids (TDS) in water at the mine's outfall. Cosco said the Blacksville Mine outfall is still considered a "partial source" though it now cannot be considered responsible for the entire problem.

Agencies have been investigating a number of possible sources of pollution, including active mine discharges and mine pools that have formed in closed mines that can discharge at the surface, but have not yet nailed down a source.

They also have reviewed operations at a CNX Gas Co. disposal well at the Morris Run Mine Shaft of Consol Energy's closed Blacksville No. 1 Mine. The well in Greene County was permitted by EPA in 2005 for the disposal of the produced fluid, or brine, from the company's coal bed methane wells.

EPA on Aug. 6 issued an administrative order to CNX assessing a penalty of $157,500 for failing to adequately staff the well site and submit information as required by the permit. The company also allegedly failed to monitor the well's cumulative volume and report non-compliance with its permit.

EPA spokeswoman Bonnie Smith said the matter was separate from the investigation of the fish kill. The agency has issued a consent agreement and final order on the matter, which has just completed a public comment period and should soon be finalized, she said.

The consent agreement noted that between September 2007 and March 2009, at least 100 truckloads of water were disposed of at the site with TDS levels that "varied significantly" from expected levels provided in the permit application and eight truckloads contained E coli bacteria, indicating sewage.

The public notice indicates the company will be required to provide adequate staffing, limit the total dissolved solids levels of injected fluids, verify TDS levels for each truckload of fluid, conduct random samplings and prevent commingling of other wastes.

The permit application remains active, though under review. It calls for disposal of coal bed methane well brine in the Pittsburgh seam coal 703 to 710 feet below the surface.

Company spokesman Tom Hoffman said the notice speaks for itself. He added the company is cooperating fully with investigative agencies and is conducting its own investigation into what might have caused the fish kill.

A number of agencies are investigating the fish kill and nothing has been ruled out so far, Hoffman said. The fact the investigation has continued several weeks, he added, "is a testament to the complexity of the situation."

Meanwhile, agencies from Pennsylvania and West Virginia and EPA continue to gather information on the fish kill, analyzing water samples and toxicity levels. Cosco said her agency had a helicopter fly over the creek Friday to see if anything unusual could be spotted from the air.

Tests of the water so far have indicated high level of total dissolved solids, with high levels of chlorides, which are found in wastes from the oil and gas industry, Cosco said. However, further information is needed before any conclusions can be drawn.

Since the fish kills were first reported Sept. 1 near Pentress, W.Va., thousands of fish and other forms of aquatic life have died in the creek, including bass, muskies, white suckers, catfish, mud puppies and mussels.

In a related matter, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection said Friday it was in the process of notifying water treatment plants along the Monongahela River about the possibility of polluted water entering the river.

"There are no indications of any health risks," said Katy Gresh, DEP spokeswoman. Gresh said it is believed any polluted water entereing the river would be rendered harmless by dilution.