Brine Spill at Stoscheck Well, Van Etten NY

added on March 15: The spill number for this incident is #0912761

 On Tuesday, March 9, NY Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) spill team responded to a brine leak reported at the Stoscheck Well in Van Etten (Chemung County), NY.

Paul Bollard, an operator for Talisman Energy (previously Fortuna Energy) discovered brine dripping from the valve during a routine well inspection late on Monday afternoon. He called in the leak and by Tuesday morning the DEC responded with a spill team.

 The leak was caused by fresh water freezing in the valve fitting, Bollard explained. It froze because the brine produced from the Stoscheck well is less salty than the brine from some of the other Trenton-Black River wells.

 Because the high water table is so high in the area – groundwater is found at six feet – Talisman (Fortuna) collected soil samples from different depths at the spill site. The samples have been sent to a laboratory for analysis, but it will take a few days before results are known.

Joseph Yarosz, a mineral resource specialist for Region 8 DEC’s Division of Mineral Resources, suggested some steps Talisman might take to remedy the situation. “Raise the brine tank and build a secondary containment around it,” Yarosz said. He acknowledged that while secondary containment dikes are recommended in the draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement (SGEIS), they are not required by regulations.