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.