Wastewater Company Settles With Environmentalists On Produced Water
By Sara Jerome,
@sarmje
As the result of a lawsuit, a wastewater treatment facility has agreed to upgrade its equipment before it dumps gas drilling wastewater into the Allegheny River in Pennsylvania.
"The settlement represents the first time an existing industrial treatment plant discharging gas drilling wastewater in Pennsylvania agreed to install effective treatment technology to protect local rivers," according to a release from Clean Water Action, the environmental group that brought the original suit.
The practice of treating produced water and discharging it into the environment has prompted concerns from scientists and environmentalists.
Last October, Clean Water Action (CWA) "sued a small Pennsylvania company by the name of Waste Treatment Corporation (WTC) in Warren, PA in federal court claiming the company continued to accept, treat and discharge Marcellus drilling wastewater into the Allegheny River," Marcellus Drilling News recently reported.
The lawsuit did not generate much publicity over the last year despite its importance.
"CWA announced they’ve reached a settlement of the case with WTC agreeing to immediately stop accepting/discharging Marcellus wastewater (even though they say they don’t), install expensive new equipment over the next 8 months, and then restart accepting Marcellus wastewater processing again," Marcellus Drilling News recently reported.
"Under the terms of the settlement, within 8 months, Waste Treatment Corporation must install advanced treatment technology that will remove 99 percent of the contaminants in gas drilling wastewater," Desmog Blog reported.
Myron Arnowitt, PA State Director for Clean Water Action, praised the settlement.
“From the start our goal has been to protect the Allegheny River and the health of people who use it,” Arnowitt said in a statement. “This settlement creates a long lasting solution that will greatly improve our water quality.”
For more oil and gas news, check out Water Online's Produced Water Solution Center.