DEP to inspect Mt. Pleasant impoundment
The state Department of Environmental Protection will today be inspecting the site of a Marcellus Shale water impoundment in Mt. Pleasant Township, owned by Range Resources, for potential soil contamination.
The DEP received calls from concerned residents who saw a residual waste container on the site that had “radioactive” written on the side. The tracking number on that container is listed on DEP’s website as being used for “one-way shipment of wastes determined to contain radioactive material or contamination.”
Carter impoundment is a facility that holds recycled water used in the hydraulic fracturing process.
John Poister, spokesman for the DEP, said an inspector went to the site Thursday to take samples of soil inside an apparatus called a weir, which allows solids to settle as water flows into the impoundment.
Poister said the test results to “characterize” the soil have not come back yet. “We don’t know what we’re dealing with yet,” Poister said.
Naturally occurring radioactive material is contained in rock formations and can be released through the drilling process in drill cuttings and flowback water. Present data does not indicate any health risks, but the DEP has undertaken a comprehensive study to examine the radiation levels.
If a contaminant is found, Poister said Range Resources will have to determine the best means of disposal.
Range Resources spokesman Matt Pitzarella could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday.