We Must Demand Protection
Washington, PA Observer-Reporter
26 September 2009
Once again Greene County has been dealt an environmental disaster.
Thirty-six stream miles of Dunkard Creek have been poisoned. As a
result, thousands of fish, mussels, snails and all other aquatic life
are dead, decaying along the banks of a once-vibrant stream. Dunkard
Creek survived a century of room-and-pillar coal extraction and with
the help of watershed groups, sportsmen's clubs and volunteers from the
local community, it has endured. But in less than nine short years of
the 21st century it was murdered by the new age of energy; toxic
byproducts of natural-gas drilling.
The poisoning of this stream was a crime against our water supply and
our community that will have long-term economic, social and
environmental repercussions for generations to come. But for now what
are we, as well as our nation, willing to sacrifice for energy? Will it
be our children or our elderly next? Rotting, decaying corpses of dead
fish lay as testament to the lack of enforcement by state and federal
agencies to protect Greene County citizens and our water supply.
How many times does our county have to be disrespected, violated, and
our quality of life diminished by industrial acts that harm the very
people that rely on the Monongahela River for their drinking water?
When will the citizens of Greene County demand from our local, state
and federal lawmakers the environmental protection we deserve to live a
quality life, free from the harmful impacts of energy extraction?
Terri Davin
Waynesburg