1st proposed Marcellus waste landfill upstream from Pittsburgh

[Divernan]

A Canadian company is seeking to site the region's first industrial landfill designed for Marcellus Shale gas drilling waste in what has been called an environmentally sensitive area near Bruceton Mills, W.Va., just six miles south of the Pennsylvania state line.

Friends of the Cheat, a West Virginia environmental organization in the Cheat River watershed, has raised concerns about the environmental impact of the landfill in an ecologically fragile area where almost $1 million has been spent to restore creeks polluted by acid mine drainage from coal mines and about $450 million has been spent on water restoration projects throughout the Cheat watershed.

"The Big Sandy is the largest sub-watershed of the Cheat River, and we've worked -- along with other groups -- for 15 years to restore it with great success," said Amanda Pitzer, executive director of the Friends of the Cheat. "Those creeks have brook trout and rainbow trout, and the lower portion of Big Sandy is a great whitewater boating venue. That brings in a lot of recreation money."

Ms. Pitzer said the Marcellus Shale drilling waste would contain radioactive materials, carcinogenic chemicals from evaporated fracking flowback water and high concentrations of salts and chlorides, which were a contributing factor to the big 2009 fish kill in Dunkard Creek along the Pennsylvania-West Virginia border, and high concentrations of dissolved solids in the Monongahela River several times during the last few years.


Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11176/1156191-503.stm#ixzz1QKL8tfHM

[Divernan]

1. Turning almost heaven W. VA. into almost hell.

Hell: defined as radioactive materials, carcinogenic chemicals & toxic concentrations of salts and chlorides leaching into the watersheds.
More from the OP's link:
"Water from the Cheat is a major buffer for the Mon," she said. "If we lose that, you could see significant impacts downstream all the way to Pittsburgh."

CCS did not respond to a phone call seeking comment. Its website says the company, founded in 1984, operated 24 industrial landfills for drilling waste, all in Canada.

In Pennsylvania, there are 31 landfills authorized to accept solid waste from Marcellus Shale drilling operations. Another -- Waste Management Corp.'s Phoenix Landfill in Tioga County, which now can accept only construction and demolition waste -- has applied to convert to a residual waste landfill allowed to accept Marcellus drilling waste.
Don Hopey: [e-mail] or 412-263-1983
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11176/1156191-503-2.stm#ixzz1QKNSWGle

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11176/1156191-503.stm#ixzz1QKM4zoBY

[blue neen]

2. It would be interesting to know where those 31 landfills are.

We spend the last 50 years cleaning up PA from the ravages of coal mining.

Gawd, this is disgusting.