High Methane in Pennsylvania Water

High Methane in Pennsylvania Water by by Mark Drajem, Bloomberg, March 30, 2012
Tests by the Environmental Protection Agency of water in Dimock, Pennsylvania, found elevated levels of methane consistent with leakage from gas drilling nearby, according to scientists who reviewed the data. Results from the first 11 wells tested by the EPA found one with a methane level of 52 parts per million, which could be explosive, and a total of six with more than the 7 milligrams per liter at which drillers are required to notify the state. … Methane levels may be even higher than the agency’s estimates, because the gas can escape if samples aren’t drawn carefully, he said in an interview. One risk is that the pathways allowing methane to leak up into wells could also carry the chemicals used to lubricate the wells or frack the rock, he said.

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