1 research outputs found
Assessment of Effluent Contaminants from Three Facilities Discharging Marcellus Shale Wastewater to Surface Waters in Pennsylvania
Unconventional natural gas development
in Pennsylania has created
a new wastewater stream. In an effort to stop the discharge of Marcellus
Shale unconventional natural gas development wastewaters into surface
waters, on May 19, 2011 the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental
Protection (PADEP) requested drilling companies stop disposing their
wastewater through wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). This research
includes a chemical analysis of effluents discharged from three WWTPs
before and after the aforementioned request. The WWTPs sampled included
two municipal, publicly owned treatment works and a commercially operated
industrial wastewater treatment plant. Analyte concentrations were
quanitified and then compared to water quality criteria, including
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency MCLs and “human health
criteria.” Certain analytes including barium, strontium, bromides,
chlorides, total dissolved solids, and benzene were measured in the
effluent at concentrations above criteria. Analyte concentrations
measured in effluent samples before and after the PADEP’s request
were compared for each facility. Analyte concentrations in the effluents
decreased in the majority of samples after the PADEP’s request
(<i>p</i> < .05). This research provides preliminary
evidence that these and similar WWTPs may not be able to provide sufficient
treatment for this wastewater stream, and more thorough monitoring
is recommended