High level of methane found in Mohawk Valley well by Amanada Fries, September 14, 2012, Observer-Dispatch
A recent U.S. Geological Survey report on groundwater wells throughout the state puts in perspective images of flaming faucets in the movie “Gasland” by Josh Fox. Of 239 wells surveyed, about 12 were tested in the Mohawk Valley. USGS Hydrogeologist Bill Kappel said one of them was found to have more than 28 milligrams per liter of dissolved methane in the water. “You have a 50/50 chance of seeing measurable methane in your well,” he said. “Depends on the well depth and what they’re drilled into.”
[Depths of water wells sampled is not included in the UGSG report, nor is distance of the water wells to the 8,302 gas wells existing in the state or rates of methane leakage from those energy wells]
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There were five wells discovered to have levels greater than 28 milligrams per liter, Kappel said. … For hydrofracking opponent Carleton Corey, owner of The Mum Farm in New Hartford, methane in wells comes as no surprise. “Personally, my concern with methane in water wells is not my major concern,” he said. “My major concern is fracking chemicals in water wells.” Corey said that when methane is discovered in a well, the source needs to be determined. … Kappel explained that the study did not determine the source for any of the wells. He said that most of the wells where methane was detected were coming up through fractures in the bedrock, including the one found in the Mohawk Valley. It’s location was not released due to privacy concerns. Bill Hecht, a former geologist and gas drill worker from Cayuga County, said he imagined that truck traffic could compress pockets of shallow gas enough to get it to move. [Emphasis added]
[Refer also to: Dissolved methane in New York groundwater, 1999—2011: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2012-1162, 6 p. ]