Proprietary Frac Fluid Leaks Into Pine Creek

Proprietary Fluid Leaks Into Pine Creek by Morgan Myers, Seeking truth about the consequences of shale gas development RDA e-Newsletter September 2012 v.4
WATERVILLE, PA – A Minuteman Environmental Services truck released 3,600 gallons of HydroRecovery LP’s “Hydraulic Stimulation Fluid” into Pine Creek after crashing into a cliff along Route 44 yesterday afternoon. Firefighters placed booms in the creek to mitigate contamination. By the time Emergency Response arrived on the scene, the tanker had drained completely. The valve had been severed from the tank. “Hydraulic Stimulation Fluid is a brine water that has some residual components in it,” said Teresa Copenhaver, Business Development Manger of HydroRecovery L.P., a frack water recycling plant in Blossburg. “We do a chemical precipitation process that removes heavy metals, minerals, and other constituents from the waste waster. It’s diluted down from when it came in.” When asked for specifics about what “residual components” besides brine were in the treated water, Copenhaver called it “proprietary information.” “Coke and Pepsi won’t tell you what’s in theirs,” said Copenhaver. “Were not trying to hide anything from anybody, we create a product.” In addition to Hydraulic Stimulation Fluid the truck released “a few gallons of transmission fluid and a couple pints of power steering fluid,” according to Wes Gordon of Minuteman Environmental Services. “These were more of a concern than the treated water. The treated water is almost like drinking water again.” “You wouldn’t drink it,” said Copenhaver. “It’s meant 100% for recycling for fracking. The gas companies don’t need a very clean treated water to go down hole. “We took water samples above, below, and at the incident to see if anything had changed. The samples went to the lab this morning,” said Gordon.