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Supervisors Need Cautious Approach To Natural Gas Mining
On February 24th, the Rockingham Supervisors heard a special use application for a natural gas mining operation near Bergton. This is the first of its kind in Virginia. The Supervisors tabled the issue so they could learn more information before making a decision. Mining natural gas from the Marcellus Shale involves a process called hydrofracking, which poses risks to ground water and nearby streams. Contaminated wells have been documented in Pennsylvania and other states near natural gas extraction sites. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) this month announced plans to study the potential adverse impacts of hydrofracturing on water quality and public health.
If this form of natural gas mining is to be allowed in Rockingham County, the Board of Supervisors must take steps to protect clean water for our citizens, agriculture, fish and wildlife. With no specific federal or state regulations, it is up to County officials to ensure safe and adequate water supplies are preserved for all. In particular, the County must provide safeguards for the private wells near the Bergton site, the headwaters of the North Fork of the Shenandoah River, and the nearby intake for the town of Broadway public water supply.
One major concern is: Where will the millions of gallons of water come from to support natural gas mining in Rockingham County and where will all of the wastewater, including the chemicals used in the process, safely go? The energy company’s application for a special use permit does not specify where it will get the millions of gallons needed for a well site near Bergton. The County must ensure that the local groundwater supply and nearby streams are not dried up to support gas mining. The company’s application states that wastewater, with unknown contaminants, will be sprayed onsite or trucked to a wastewater treatment facility. But the well site is in a floodplain, making disposal there a threat to water quality. And it is unknown whether the Rockingham/ Harrisonburg wastewater treatment facility is equipped to treat so much wastewater without a costly upgrade.
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