Public concerns remain over possible hyrdro-fracking in the Falls

Local News

October 28, 2011

By Timothy Chipp Niagara Gazette The Niagara Gazette Fri Oct 28, 2011, 10:53 PM EDT

NIAGARA FALLS — The Niagara Falls Water Board continues to receive input from residents concerning the possibility of accepting for treatment waste water from hydraulic fracturing operations in Pennsylvania.

During the board’s meeting earlier this week, residents of the Niagara Region, including Buffalo and Cheektowaga, voiced their concerns about the board even considering the option in the future. Roy McDowell, of Niagara Falls, said he didn’t really care if the board did accept the waste, but only if the process guaranteed nothing harmful would be created here.

“I don’t care what you do,” he said. “I just don’t want anything dumped into the river. And I don’t want another Love Canal.”

Hydraulic fracturing, otherwise referred to as fracking or hydro-fracking, is a process of extracting natural gas and other fossil fuels from shale through the use of chemicals injected with water into the rock layers.

Christina Love, of Cheektowaga, said hydraulic fracturing waste causes unknown amounts of dangerous pollution, including benzene, a known carcinogen, that can have lasting effects on any human body.

“There’s no way of knowing what’s actually in the hydro-fracking waste water,” Love said. “There are smarter ways of generating revenues.”

Michael Herbold, of Buffalo, took Love’s stance one step further, saying the board should support a total ban on fracking, including the treatment of all waste water at the treatment plants.

He too brought up Love Canal in his address, telling the board he would hate it if the area’s reputation was more in line with the nasty than the pristine of the falls itself.

“It’s not an economic development program when you balance it against the health of your people,” he said.

A total ban on fracturing in Niagara Falls isn’t on the books yet like it is in Buffalo, but according to Water Board Executive Director Paul Drof, there actually is no risk to residents at the present time.

He said New York state actually has an edict out right now forbidding any waste water treatment plant from accepting or treating any water contaminated with fracking chemicals.

“Right now, no facility in New York state is permitted to accept fracking waste water,” he said. “Their edict is there is no one approved to take fracking water, so no one does. It’s not illegal because no one does it.”

The state Department of Environmental Conservation is currently studying the process of cleaning the water and developing a set of goals and standards before New York will allow any plant to take the water, he said.

However, the board decided to begin preliminary investigations should the DEC allow for the treatment plant to accept the fracking bi-product. Investigating, and sometimes accepting, trucked-in waste is something the board has done since it came into existence, he said.

“The treatment of trucked-in waste has been done in Niagara Falls over the last 20 years,” he said. “It’s something we do routinely. This is just another candidate for treatment. That’s all it is at this point.”

Drof added the volunteer board does appreciate public input on the matter as it provides them more insight into what actions they’ll take later.

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