Wetterling Well Under Way in Owego, NY

The other day a resident in Owego was out for her morning walk. She knew a gas well was planned for the area - but was surprised to see the top of a drilling rig poking above the treetops.








Apparently, drilling for the Wetterling Well, just off McHenry Road (North of Bodle Hill Rd) is underway. Carrizo Oil and Gas (out of Houston, TX) filed a permit application for a vertical Marcellus well on a 43-acre unit back on May 17 of this year. A couple months later - August 9 - the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) approved the application and issued a drilling permit. According to the DEC records, Carrizo began drilling on September 18; at least that's the "spud date" reported.

But, say the locals, the drilling rig just went up a couple days ago, complete with stadium lights that can be seen at least a mile away. This is supposed to be a "test" well; given that the industry insists that Marcellus is all over the place, we're not too sure what exactly they're testing for - unless it's for local resistance.

Ironically, even as Carrizo was moving their rig into New York, Pennsylvania Senator Jim Ferlo and other PA lawmakers were calling on their state to "enact a drilling moratorium during which a comprehensive study on the effects of fracking would take place." Ferlo's concerns: impacts on public health, environmental impact, and the erosion of infrastructure needed to support PA's commerce including agriculture, tourism, hunting, fishing and recreation.

Mundy Introduces Moratorium Bill in PA House

Yesterday Pennsylvania House member Phyllis Mundy introduced a bill that would place a moratorium on issuing new permits for drilling in the Marcellus Shale. House Bill 233, titled “Marcellus Shale Natural Gas Drilling Permit Moratorium Act” would establish a one year moratorium on Marcellus permits in order to “provide additional time to enact and approve appropriate laws and regulations to protect the public health and safety”.

It’s not a long bill – only 215 words, and that includes definitions and title. You can read it here.

DEC to Give Some Watersheds Separate Environmental Review Process Before Drilling

updated 4/24 
Not all drinking water in New York is created equal. As of today, some watersheds will be excluded from the pending generic environmental review process for high volume- horizontal drilling in the Marcellus and other shale formations.

This afternoon,  NY State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Pete Grannis announced that "due to the unique issues related to the protection of New York City and Syracuse drinking water supplies" applications to drill in those watersheds will require a case-by-case environmental review process to "establish whether appropriate measures to mitigate potential impacts can be developed".

At this time there are 58 pending applications for horizontal drilling in the Marcellus shale, but none of those are located in  the New York City or the Skaneateles Lake watershed where Syracuse gets its water.

At issue: the Big Apple and the Big Orange both use unfiltered drinking water from surface-water sources. These watersheds are subject to Filtration Avoidance Determinations (FADs). The FADs acknowledge land disturbance and usage issues unique to those watersheds and independent of DEC’s ongoing review of the environmental safety of the high-volume hydraulic fracturing process.

The federal Safe Drinking Water Act requires that drinking water taken from surface water sources must be filtered to reduce the risk of waterborne disease. If a water supplier is able to demonstrate that they meet strict water quality criteria without filtration, they may request a FAD. In addition, the supplier must prove that it effectively implements a comprehensive watershed management plan.

FADs are rarely granted, but both New York City and the city of Syracuse have been issued FADs for their drinking water systems.

"The environmental safety protocols included in the SGEIS must fully protect drinking water supplies and mitigate significant environmental risks wherever drilling might occur," DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis said in comments released to the press. "Even with those protections in place, in order to better assure the continued use of an unfiltered surface water supply, there must be an additional review process which may result in associated regulatory and other controls on drilling. DEC will be vigilant in ensuring environmental safeguards," he promised.

The NY State Department of Health has the primary jurisdiction over the FADs. State Health Commissioner Dr. Richard Daines noted that watershed protection is critical for an unfiltered, FAD system. "The New York City watershed and the Skaneateles watershed are unique in the level of management required to ensure continued compliance with strict water quality standards," Daines said.

As a result of  today’s decision, applicants for natural gas drilling permits using high-volume horizontal drilling in the FAD watersheds will not be able to utilize the SGEIS. Instead, they will need to meet special requirements relating to the unfiltered surface water supply. That means they will need to conduct individual environmental reviews to address the continuation of the FAD.

The DEC will work closely with the state Department of Health, the local watershed communities, and with the cities benefiting from the FADs to develop the additional drilling requirements that may be applicable in the FAD watersheds.

Which leaves the rest of us in the region wondering: an' ain't we a Watershed too?

This announcement generated a lot of comments from NY legislators. Senator Thomas Duane (29th district) said : "I fear it is a cynical move that will pit New Yorkers against each other ...  residents in Manhattan and Syracuse, for example, will benefit from this decision while those living in Ithaca and Jamestown will not."