On June 23 the Department of the Environment ordered the Jersey Shore Borough sewage treatment plant to stop accepting and treating any wastewater from oil and gas drilling operations.

Drilling operations use hydraulic fracturing, injecting high pressure liquids into underground rock formations to remove oil and natural gas reserves. The wastewater recovered from hydraulic fracturing is often called frac water.

According to DEP, the Jersey Shore Borough sewage treatment plant accepted and processed frac water at levels higher than authorized under their approved discharge permit. DEP also found that the Borough failed to properly analyze frac water prior to introducing it into the sewage treatment system.

“Frac water often contains high levels of dissolved minerals from surrounding geology and numerous chemical compounds used help extract methane gas,” said Chesapeake Bay Foundation Executive Director Matt Ehrhart. “If the frac water is not treated properly it can damage streams receiving discharges.”

Frac waters can also significantly impact a treatment plants ability to remove nitrogen, the primary pollutant impacting the Chesapeake Bay, by eradicating sensitive microbes necessary to remove nitrogen from wastewater.

DEP’s order requires the Borough to receive DEP approval of an amended discharge permit before the sewage plant can accept or treat any additional frac water.

“As Marcellus Shale-related drilling activities expand, the challenge of how to treat frac water so it does not impact Pennsylvania streams and the Bay will continue to grow,” Ehrhart said. “We commend DEP for taking swift and decisive action on this important issue, and encourage them to ensure that frac water is properly treated.”

For more information, visit the Chesapeake Bay Foundation/Pennsylvania webpage.