What a Shocker

There was an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer yesterday that really wasn't all that surprising. Here are the first few paragraphs, which do a great job of summary.

Philly Academy Study Finds Gas Drilling Threatens Streams
By Sandy Bauers
Inquirer Staff Writer

A preliminary study by Academy of Natural Sciences researchers suggests that even without spills or other accidents, drilling for natural gas in Pennsylvania's rich Marcellus Shale formation could degrade nearby streams.

The researchers compared watersheds where there was no or little drilling to watersheds where there was a high density of drilling, and found significant changes.

Water conductivity, an indicator of contamination by salts that are a component of drilling wastewater, was almost twice as high in streams with high-density drilling.

Populations of salamanders and aquatic insects, animals sensitive to pollution, were 25 percent lower in streams with the most drilling activity.

An industry spokesman declined to comment on the findings.

Gee, ya think?!?

I hate this Marcellus Shale drilling.
As the saying goes, everything flows downstream...

Here's a link to the rest of the article if you want to read on.
http://tinyurl.com/natlsciencedrilling

OK, I'm down off my soapbox now.
This rant was brought to you by John West Red Salmon...