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KEYSER — At the forefront of an environmental and economic-development issue that affects the drilling of natural gas reserves throughout the Mountain State, the city of Keyser will be getting some unprecedented face time with West Virginia’s senior state officials at the upcoming Mineral County Day in Charleston.
City officials are slated to meet personally with Gov. Joe Manchin and the director of the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection to discuss the city's efforts to use its wastewater treatment facility to treat the water-byproduct from drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus shale deposit now being tapped throughout the Appalachian range.
“It's a trillion-dollar industry,” said Mike Kesecker, supervisor of the city's wastewater treatment plant.
Natural gas is recovered from shale deposits using a drilling technique that pumps water into the underground rock formations, allowing the gas to be pumped out. Under environmental guidelines, the water used for drilling must be recovered and treated before it is released back into the environment.
Currently, West Virginia does not allow the water byproduct to be treated through standard processes at wastewater treatment plants like the city of Keyser's, located on Waxler Road.
The drilling company that contacted Keyser is working in the Mount Storm area, and has to ship its wastewater to Johnstown, Pa. for treatment. Looking to reduce its shipping expenses, the company approached Keyser officials this fall about using their plant.
Kesecker, who will soon mark his first anniversary as plant supervisor, first had the company provide two small containers of the wastewater that he then tested through 18 different processes. Moreover, Kesecker sent samples out to an independent lab to double check his in-house results.
“I told them (the drilling company) we're going to run tests before I tell you yes or no,” he said.
His conclusion, based on those tests, was that the only significant treatment issue for the wastewater was a relatively modest degree of salinity, or salt content, which could be countered with an infusion of lime. Otherwise, there were no chemicals or other components that would prevent the city from treating the water.
Based on those results, the city accepted 78,000 gallons of the drilling water, transported to the plant in tankers that haul 5,300 gallons at time. The water was dumped into the city's massive lagoons, at the front end of the treatment process. Kesecker said the total infusion of drilling water into the 50 million-gallon lagoons was equivalent to a teaspoon-full in a 55-gallon drum.
“The lagoon system is the best way to treat it because you have such a long holding time,” Kesecker said. “We have seen no negative effects whatsoever.”
Despite that positive outcome, officials from the DEP, when advised by a former city official of the activity, ordered the city to stop accepting the drilling water. The city now faces possible fines for doing so.
And that's where the governor comes in.
Riding the wave of natural gas development sweeping over the Eastern U.S. as part of the nation's drive to develop domestic energy sources, the issue promises to be an economic boon for the state of West Virginia, from landowners selling drilling rights, to potentially thousands of jobs in the drilling industry. Providing convenient sites for treatment of the drilling wastewater will encourage drilling activity in the state. Conversely, the lack of such treatment sites would discourage development.
It also promises to be a windfall for cash-strapped municipalities that can treat the water.
Based on the activity of just the one drilling company, the city of Keyser estimates that it could earn $10,000 a week treating the water. Over the course of the company's anticipated four to five years drilling near Mount Storm, the city would earn $2 million to $4 million — money that could in turn be reinvested into the treatment plant, for expensive upgrades that are going to be required as part of the Chesapeake Bay Cleanup.
Allegany County is in the process of building a new treatment plant along Georges Creek to meet those new regulations. The price tag: $30 million.
“We're sitting on the Potomac,” Kesecker said. “It's just a matter of time (before Keyser faces a similar upgrade).”
Keyser City Councilman Dave Sowers, who is spearheading the issue with Mayor William “Sonny” Rhodes, said the revenue from the drilling water would go a long way toward sparing local taxpayers a share of the burden for those costly upgrades.
“That's $2 million that the citizens of this city and the state of West Virginia would not have to pay for the upgrades to this plant,” Sowers said.
With those forces at play, city officials are being given the red-carpet treatment at Mineral County Day, the annual two-day event where local politicians and citizens travel to the state capital to lobby state officials for local projects and initiatives. This year's event will feature one-on-one sessions with the governor and Cabinet officials that are not normally accorded to the city.
“West Virginia is letting them drill, but they're not letting them get rid of the water here (in-state),” Mayor Rhodes said. “That just doesn't make sense.”
KEYSER — At the forefront of an environmental and economic-development issue that affects the drilling of natural gas reserves throughout the Mountain State, the city of Keyser will be getting some unprecedented face time with West Virginia’s senior state officials at the upcoming Mineral County Day in Charleston.
City officials are slated to meet personally with Gov. Joe Manchin and the director of the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection to discuss the city's efforts to use its wastewater treatment facility to treat the water-byproduct from drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus shale deposit now being tapped throughout the Appalachian range.
“It's a trillion-dollar industry,” said Mike Kesecker, supervisor of the city's wastewater treatment plant.
Natural gas is recovered from shale deposits using a drilling technique that pumps water into the underground rock formations, allowing the gas to be pumped out. Under environmental guidelines, the water used for drilling must be recovered and treated before it is released back into the environment.
Currently, West Virginia does not allow the water byproduct to be treated through standard processes at wastewater treatment plants like the city of Keyser's, located on Waxler Road.
The drilling company that contacted Keyser is working in the Mount Storm area, and has to ship its wastewater to Johnstown, Pa. for treatment. Looking to reduce its shipping expenses, the company approached Keyser officials this fall about using their plant.
Kesecker, who will soon mark his first anniversary as plant supervisor, first had the company provide two small containers of the wastewater that he then tested through 18 different processes. Moreover, Kesecker sent samples out to an independent lab to double check his in-house results.
“I told them (the drilling company) we're going to run tests before I tell you yes or no,” he said.
His conclusion, based on those tests, was that the only significant treatment issue for the wastewater was a relatively modest degree of salinity, or salt content, which could be countered with an infusion of lime. Otherwise, there were no chemicals or other components that would prevent the city from treating the water.
Based on those results, the city accepted 78,000 gallons of the drilling water, transported to the plant in tankers that haul 5,300 gallons at time. The water was dumped into the city's massive lagoons, at the front end of the treatment process. Kesecker said the total infusion of drilling water into the 50 million-gallon lagoons was equivalent to a teaspoon-full in a 55-gallon drum.
“The lagoon system is the best way to treat it because you have such a long holding time,” Kesecker said. “We have seen no negative effects whatsoever.”
Despite that positive outcome, officials from the DEP, when advised by a former city official of the activity, ordered the city to stop accepting the drilling water. The city now faces possible fines for doing so.
And that's where the governor comes in.
Riding the wave of natural gas development sweeping over the Eastern U.S. as part of the nation's drive to develop domestic energy sources, the issue promises to be an economic boon for the state of West Virginia, from landowners selling drilling rights, to potentially thousands of jobs in the drilling industry. Providing convenient sites for treatment of the drilling wastewater will encourage drilling activity in the state. Conversely, the lack of such treatment sites would discourage development.
It also promises to be a windfall for cash-strapped municipalities that can treat the water.
Based on the activity of just the one drilling company, the city of Keyser estimates that it could earn $10,000 a week treating the water. Over the course of the company's anticipated four to five years drilling near Mount Storm, the city would earn $2 million to $4 million — money that could in turn be reinvested into the treatment plant, for expensive upgrades that are going to be required as part of the Chesapeake Bay Cleanup.
Allegany County is in the process of building a new treatment plant along Georges Creek to meet those new regulations. The price tag: $30 million.
“We're sitting on the Potomac,” Kesecker said. “It's just a matter of time (before Keyser faces a similar upgrade).”
Keyser City Councilman Dave Sowers, who is spearheading the issue with Mayor William “Sonny” Rhodes, said the revenue from the drilling water would go a long way toward sparing local taxpayers a share of the burden for those costly upgrades.
“That's $2 million that the citizens of this city and the state of West Virginia would not have to pay for the upgrades to this plant,” Sowers said.
With those forces at play, city officials are being given the red-carpet treatment at Mineral County Day, the annual two-day event where local politicians and citizens travel to the state capital to lobby state officials for local projects and initiatives. This year's event will feature one-on-one sessions with the governor and Cabinet officials that are not normally accorded to the city.
“West Virginia is letting them drill, but they're not letting them get rid of the water here (in-state),” Mayor Rhodes said. “That just doesn't make sense.”
