Pennsylvania Town Battles Widespread water Contamination Following Fracking “frac-Out”
A new study confirms critically important oil and gas contamination in New Freeport, Pennsylvania, raising concerns about the health and future of a community grappling wiht the aftermath of a fracking incident and highlighting a regulatory gap in accountability for “frac-outs.”
Residents of New Freeport first noticed issues in 2022 – strange odors and discoloration in their well water, and pets refusing to drink it – sparking fears about the safety of their water supply. The concerns stemmed from a “frac-out,” an event where drilling fluids used in the fracking process escape their intended path, in this case, through an abandoned gas well.
Duquesne University professor John Stolz answered the call for help from the center for Coalfield Justice, an environmental nonprofit. Over the next two years, Stolz and his colleagues conducted extensive water testing, revealing a far wider scope of contamination than initially suspected. published last month, the study found that 71 percent of the 75 samples tested contained methane.
“We found significant contamination,” Stolz stated. “Essentially half of the people in our study had bad water.” Alarmingly, two wells registered “explosive levels of methane,” leaving homeowners unaware of the danger lurking beneath their properties.
Sarah Martik,executive director at the Center for Coalfield Justice,expressed gratitude for Stolz’s work,noting he is “one of the only people in our area that we can count on to come provide free water tests.” The study’s findings have grown as more residents came forward, seeking testing after hearing preliminary results.
The situation in Freeport Township is dire. Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, Guy Hostutler, reported that at least 22 households currently rely on water buffaloes – large holding tanks – due to contamination, while others depend on five-gallon jugs provided by the Center for Coalfield Justice. Some residents have resorted to installing costly filter systems.Compounding the issue,some wells are now drying up entirely.
In response, residents filed a class-action lawsuit against EQT, the fracking company operating the well pad believed to be the source of the frac-out, in 2024. Martik believes the study will bolster their legal fight, providing “a validation of what people already know” and concrete evidence to present in court.
EQT has denied obligation for the contamination and did not respond to requests for comment. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) tested the water and confirmed it was unsafe for consumption, but did not establish a link to oil and gas drilling, according to spokesman Neil Shader.
Stolz believes the DEP’s assessment was incomplete, arguing they did not “fully utilized the data they have.” He emphasized the importance of considering the broader context, including the timeline of events and the involvement of an abandoned gas well. “it’s vrey clear that things changed after the frac-out,” he said. The DEP is currently investigating new complaints of oil and gas contamination in the area.
New Freeport’s experience echoes that of Dimock, Pennsylvania, a community that has been without clean water for over a decade. dimock gained international attention when residents filmed
