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Our look at natural gas activities
around
TRINITY SOUTH ELEMENTARY
AMWELL TOWNSHIP
WASHINGTON COUNTY, PA
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Marcellus Shale gas drilling got
underway in Washington County when the
Renz
Well was drilled near Westland, Pennsylvania in 2004. Since
then, Marcellus drilling activity has greatly increased in Mt.
Pleasant Township and surrounding townships in northwestern parts of
Washington County.
Drilling has also accelerated south of Washington Pennsylvania in
both Washington and Greene counties.
MarkWest
and
Columbia Gas Transmission are working on a joint project to
increase pipeline capacity to and from the Waynesburg area. This is
in conjunction with MarkWest's rapidly expanding cryogenic gas plant
near Houston, Pa, and another gas plant to be built next to the
existing Columbia Gas Transmission facility in Majorsville, Pa.
In order to move gas through pipelines, compressor stations must be
built along Marcellus gas pipelines. One such compressor station is
being built on Johnson Road, approximately one mile from Trinity
Elementary South. In addition to that new construction, the
photos below show two
Range Marcellus gas drilling sites and extensive
pipeline construction in this same area of Amwell Township around
Trinity South.
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Trinity South Elementary School
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November 11, 2009
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Foreground: MarkWest compressor station
Background: Trinity South Elementary School
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Large compressor for moving natural gas
through pipelines.
One 95 hp compressor = 17 cars driving non-stop.
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December 2009
Compressor station building is nearing completion
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Condensate tanks (temporarily on their
sides)
for capturing liquids off the wet gas
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E&S is very important so that streams are
not polluted with soil erosion runoff
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Impoundments are constructed near gas
drilling activities to hold the fluids necessary for fracing
(pronounced 'fracking') horizontal wells into Marcellus Shale.
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Black silt fence is used on both sides to
help provide a buffer for this stream
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Once trees are removed from
pipeline
right-of-ways they will never be replanted since these areas are
kept clear of trees to protect the gas line potential damage.
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Excavation has begun on the gas pipeline
right-of-way
that extends south toward Waynesburg Pa.
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Gas well sites and related gas sites use
solar panels as a remote energy source.
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Across the road from the MarkWest
compressor station
on Johnson Road is an active gas well site.
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Signs like these are used at the entrance
to gas well sites with information including the well name, the
township and county, permit numbers and emergency contact phone
number. Some also include well numbers.
Great
Lakes Energy Partners, LLC is now
Range
Resources Appalachia LLC.
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Gas wells flared for Christmas week 2009
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John Deere excavator digging a trench for a
new gas pipeline.
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New gas pipe is cribbed up on pieces of
wood during construction.
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Range Resources sign indicating this is the
JOHN DAY PRODUCTION PAD well No. 1 thru No. 8, Permit No. 125-23185 /
125-23205 in Amwell Twp of Washington County Pa.
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RANGE RESOURCES
DAY UNIT 1H-8H
Proposed But
Never Materialized:
DAY UNIT 1H OG WELL 125-23038
DAY UNIT 2H OG WELL 125-23039
Active Wells:
DAY UNIT 1H OG WELL
125-23185 (Drill Deeper)
DAY UNIT 2H OG WELL 125-23205 (Drill Deeper)
DAY UNIT 3H OG WELL 125-23796
DAY UNIT 4H OG WELL 125-23828
DAY UNIT 5H OG WELL 125-23795
DAY UNIT 6H OG WELL 125-23829
DAY UNIT 7H OG WELL 125-23794
DAY UNIT 8H OG WELL 125-23797
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A second sign near the entrance to this
same gas well and production site is illegible other than the permit
numbers for the two "drill deeper" wells.
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Patterson-UTI rig #315 was moved from a site near Arden
Fairgrounds to this site on South Main Street Extension, just up the
road from Trinity South Elementary School. The extensive excavation
work to both sides and the rear of this drilling rig indicate that
an impoundment is being constructed to hold water and/or recycled
wastewater for fracing this well and
piping water to other Marcellus gas wells in the area.
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Major excavation activity indicates
impoundment
construction. The impoundment next to the Waynesburg interchange
has been in the newspaper due to the foul odors emanating from
wastewater in the pit.
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The site to the right of the drilling rig
also shows major excavation activity.
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OVERSIZE AND OVERWEIGHT
IN AMWELL TOWNSHIP
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Oversize Load exiting a small
country road with damaged
10-Ton weight limit bridge in photos below
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Sign clearly indicating the weight limit on
Main Street,
the road the truck is seen entering above.
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Oversize loads (like the truck pictured above)
have been regularly
crossing this small bridge that is posted with a
10-ton weight limit
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Sign at the opposite end of Johnson Road:
Bridge
Weight Limit 10 Tons
1-1/4 Mile Ahead
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Bridge damage - Is the guardrail the only
thing damaged?
Check out the cracked concrete in the bridge abutment.
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LINKS
Air
quality issues (PDF)
Chemicals in Natural Gas Operations (47 min. video)
Proposed school near gas well concerns
Fort Worth neighbors
Natural Gas Drilling videos
by Josh Fox
The
Male Predicament (37 min. video)
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