EQT to construct impoundment
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FINLEYVILLE – EQT Corp. received the go-ahead from Union Township officials to construct a freshwater impoundment and conveyance system on its Trax Farm well pad. The Pittsburgh-based drilling company plans to start fracking the well in early October.
The board of supervisors unanimously approved EQT’s application last week for a temporary impoundment near the intersection of Trax Road and Route 88. Supervisor Charles Trax was absent.
Solicitor Dennis Makel said the township felt “granting a conditional use would lessen the impact on the environment” because it would significantly reduce air pollutants and nuisance caused by truck traffic.
The impoundment will hold fresh water purchased from Pennsylvania American Water Co. that will be piped into tanks on the well pad, eliminating the need for additional tanker trucks.
“One of the major concerns we had, besides it being a permitted use with certain conditions, was the amount of truck traffic that was going to be eliminated,” board Chairman Larry Spahr said Monday. “They were estimating approximately 384 trucks a day.”
Flowback water will be trucked to another location.
Several residents expressed concerns during a public hearing in August that the impoundment would be converted into a wastewater pond. Township supervisors set several conditions on EQT’s application, including the stipulation it would never hold flowback water.
Supervisors also stipulated EQT must install groundwater monitoring wells.
The township engineer also will visit the site every two weeks to check for any spills, leaks or issues.
The impoundment must be used only for the Trax well pad and must be remediated 90 days after fracking is complete, weather permitting.
The single-lined impoundment will be capable of holding as much as 1.3 million gallons of water. Water will be piped through a six-inch polyethylene water line from Pennsylvania American Water Co.’s Turkeyfoot vault in Peters Township, across Sugar Camp Road and Route 88, and into the impoundment for storage. Two pipes will then carry water from the impoundment to the well pad.