Upper Burrell goes back to the drawing board on rules for injection wells

Upper Burrell residents on Wednesday asked supervisors to consider more stringent rules for injection wells.

Township supervisors were considering a proposal regulating and outlining rules for injection wells that would allow them as a conditional use in industrial-zoned areas of Upper Burrell only.

During the hourlong hearing Wednesday, residents asked the board to make the rules more strict so that the township is not attractive for drilling companies looking to dispose of waste fluids.

”We’ll be making some additions to the ordinance as it sits,” Solicitor Steve Yakopec said. “We would anticipate it come up in the August meeting or as soon thereafter that suits the pleasure of the board.”

Township officials said nobody has shown any interest in bringing an injection well in Upper Burrell. They are considering the rules to be preventive.

There are five fracking well pads in Upper Burrell.

Injection wells aren’t intended to extract gas like Marcellus shale wells. Instead, injection wells help place fluids underground in porous rock formations like limestone and sandstone.

When companies drill, millions of gallons of water are pushed at high pressure into the ground. Some drillers convert an abandoned conventional gas well into an injection well site and dispose of that wastewater there.

Upper Burrell officials estimate there being anywhere between 100 to 200 abandoned wells in the township.

Fluids in injection wells could be wastewater, brine, water or water mixed with chemicals.

Residents said the wells should be deeper than the 1,500 foot requirement pitched by the township supervisors. The supervisors directed township engineer Michael Moore to research the geological strata under Upper Burrell to inform the depth requirement.

Others suggested the ordinance include a mandatory sampling of nearby waterways to make sure they are not contaminated, have bond requirements for companies, outline enforcement protocols, set an emergency response plan for spills, add more stringent penalties and fines for violators, and include a truck manifest outlining what exactly is being transported to the wells.

Supervisors Chairman Ross G. Walker III said that having stricter rules would make injection wells less likely to come to Upper Burrell.

Yakopec warned that overly restrictive guidelines could be challenged in court. Banning injection wells outright is illegal, he said.

Resident James Pattock told the board time is of the essence when it comes to getting the rules in place.

“We need to get the upper hand and get this in right now,” he said. “This is a must. This is so critical right here, you have no idea.”