With respect to the industry’s claim that there have been no documented or confirmed cases of water or land contamination, SAFE responds that there have been many cases of such contamination in several Illinois counties.
We sent this report, with a cover letter, to the officials named at the bottom of the page. See “We Have What the Industry Says Does Not Exist”
As early as 1978, with the older, vertical hydraulic fracturing, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency found that the industry’s operations in Illinois had contaminated ground water, sterilized thousands of acres of farmland, brought illness and death to farm animals, left farmers without potable water, and induced a decline in property values in Rochester, Illinois…the report details the industry’s behavior with regard to oil and gas industry waste water disposal since 1904.
Special Thanks to Environmental Working Group for this report.
The following are excerpts from the study.
Property values can drop as a result of threatened ground water contamination. This occurred in 1977 at a housing development located near a brine pit in Rochester, Illinois, after elevated chloride concentrations were found in the surrounding ground water (Case III, Appendix B). these are just a few examples of environmental degradation through brine pollution that have occurred in Illinois over recent years. Pg 22
Brine-polluted ground water may eventually infiltrate public or private water supplies, or percolate to the surface. Water supplies for farms and dairy operations an become saline, leaving cattle and a family without potable water. This was the case for a Clinton County dairy farmer and his family in 1976, when highly mineralized waters infiltrated his local ground water supply (Case I- Appendix B). Pg. 22
However, even though these cases have occurred in close proximity to active oil field brine disposal operations, lack of acceptable legal evidence has left land owners without means to secure compensation for damages incurred. One of the important characteristics of brine pollution often overlooked until the damage has been done, is that the pollution cannot be readily reversed by merely eliminating the existing source. In ground water, brine pollution may persist for decades and travel several miles from its point of origin before it is appreciably diluted.Pg. 28
Evaporation pits were introduced in Illinois from the southwestern oil producing states, and rely solely or in part on evaporation for the removal of water vapor. These pits are used as ultimate disposal facilities or storage facilities pending underground injection. However, the relatively humid climate of Illinois allows little or no net evaporation throughout the year. Pg. 34
During the initial field investigations, it was noted that the fluid levels in at least 80 percent of the estimated 200 pits inspected were being maintained above surrounding ground level. Pits displaying breached walls were also noted. In a few instances, even though the pit was perilously close to overflowing or was in fact flowing over its banks, brine input continued at a substantial rate, i.e., 5-15 gallons per minute (Plate 6).Pg. 43
Other brine related problems noted in the field included remnant scars from pits which had drained into nearby streams or across open land rendering it void of vegetation (Plates 7 and 8). A few of the pits exhibit darkened halos around their peripheries indicating seepage from within. These improperly constructed or maintained pits allow brines to seep into underlyingsoils and eventually migrate into ground water reservoirs. Once absorbed into the ground water system, the brines (particularly chlorides) can travel several miles due to their resistance against absorption into the aquifer material. Pg. 48
Productive farm land can be left completely unvegetated as can be seen at a site in south central Bond County. In this case a field adjacent to a brine pit was left void of vegetation after saline ground water percolated to the surface (Case II, Appendix B) Pg. 22
Many of the disposal wells presently in use may be inadequately designed or constructed to facilitate the safe injection of saline waters. In the past, abandoned production wells, subject to pressure check, could be converted to SWD or waterflood wells without installing tubing and packers. Often the casing in an old well has deteriorated from years of exposure to corrosive formation fluids. Although such a casing may withstand an initial pressure check, its subsequent life expectancy could be substantially shortened. When failure does occur, chloride solutions can be expelled at injection pressure into the adjacent strata, as illustrated in Figure 13. Pg. 50
The records of the Illinois Department of Mines and Minerals indicate that there are thousands of plugged wells within the state. Many of these wells were plugged prior to the 1940’s before plugging records and specifications were developed, and may not have retained the integrity necessary to restrict vertical migration of highly saline waters. Ultimately, the migration of saline waters through these casings could lead to the degradation of otherwise potable ground water P. 52
The first thing we learn about the report is that it was instigated by land owner complaints of contaminated water and damaged land.
The oil and gas industry is spending millions in an advertising campaign to mislead the public about the dangers of “fracking”. One of the claims the industry is making is that fracking technology has been used since the 1940s and that there are no “documented” cases of the contamination of groundwater, or no “confirmed” cases of contamination. This claim is blatently false.
We note first that the industry uses the term “fracking,” but the older method of fracking to which the industry is referring is vertical hydraulic fracturing only: drilling straight down and fracturing shale formations around the well bore. The older method differs dramatically from the newer fracking technology known as high-volume horizontal fracking. In the newer method, the drilling first goes down vertically and then turns sideways and goes horizontal. Horizontal fracking takes exponentially more fresh water and sand, and chemicals to keep the bacteria from building up during the high temperatures of drilling. Staggering quantities of fresh water are mixed with toxic chemicals, with the result that the water is turned into highly toxic brine that cannot be returned to the hydrological cycle. Currently, there is no safe disposal method for this toxic brine, so the industry has been burying it in deep injection wells underground, which poses further risks for ground water contamination.
The Brine Report Has Been Sent To:
Senator Forby
Representative Brandon Phelps
Governor Quinn
Lt. Governor Sheila Simon
Marc Ayers, Lt. Governor’s Office
Speaker of the House Michael Madigan
Mary Morrisey, Political Director, Office of the Attorney General
Lisa Bonnett, Director Environmental Protection Agency
Marcia Willhite, Director Water Bureau, IL Environmental Protection Agency
Maggie Carson, Communication Manager, IL Environmental Protection Agency
Raghav Murali, Legislative Liaison, IL Environmental Protection Agency
LeMar Hasbrouck, Director, Illinois Department of Public Health
Representative David Reis
Representative Brandon Phelps
Representative Mike Bost
Representative John Cavaletto
Representative Jerry Costello II
Representative Gary Forby
Representative John Bradley
President of the Senate John J. Cullerton
Senator David Luechtefeld
Let us know who you have sent it to, and we will post it here.
connect@dontfractureillinois.net