On Wednesday, USGS released a report on the hydrogeology of the aquifer system in the Susquehanna River Valley in parts of Broome and
Chenango Counties of New York. While industry flaks spin this report as
proclaiming “lots of water for industrial use”. The USGS report actually highlights
the role of aquifer protection in the context of gas drilling impacts:
"Aquifer
protection in the study area is a topic of public concern in relation to the
potential for natural gas drilling in this part of New York. Aquifer protection
efforts likely will focus on currently used resources. Information provided in
this report may help managers prioritize protection of largely unused aquifers
whose characteristics suggest that they are capable of providing large public
or commercial water supplies." p. 17.
Rachel Treichler’s excellent analysis points out why this
study is valuable to communities in the Southern Tier. Of particular
importance, the report highlights the close connections between uplands and the
valley aquifers. If water quality in streams is compromised by activities in
the upland watershed, groundwater quality in the valleys may be compromised.
Therefore, it is not good enough to simply protect valley “wellheads” for local
water supplies. We need to protect the upland watersheds.
we need to protect our water and I passed by streams across Compressor Stations in our Susquehanna County, Pa.. The Compressor Stations are belching out tons of toxins and it falls on the land below it and the wetlands....
ReplyDeleteI was sent a copy from the author back in February and I highly recomend all people read this document. Two other spots to read are the Introduction and the Summary. Then look at the listing of references and notice the PA DCNR open field reports by the professor from Bloomsburg. They have been done in the last 10 years. You can go to the USGS website to look up this and other USGS publications. Note some times the Maps are 30 inches by 38 inches and are large files.
ReplyDeleteThe report number and name is:
Scientific Investigations Report 2012–5282
Hydrogeology of the Susquehanna River valley-fill aquifer system and adjacent areas in eastern Broome and southeastern Chenango Counties, New York
Other USGS reports to look at:
Open-File Report 2012–1154
Landscape Consequences of Natural Gas Extraction in Bradford and Washington Counties, Pennsylvania, 2004–2010
Scientific Investigations Report 2012–5127
Hydrogeology of the stratified-drift aquifers in the Cayuta Creek and Catatonk Creek valleys in parts of Tompkins, Schuyler, Chemung, and Tioga Counties, New York