Red Barn @ Mason Dixon Park

Preserving & Promoting Mason-Dixon History and Culture

Friday, August 21^st, 7 pm to 9 pm – Native American flute music blended with other musical instruments.  Cody BlackBird Band, Mason-Dixon Historical Park, 79 Buckeye Road, Core, WV 26541.  $10 adults, children free under 12. This location is on Dunkard Creek, Monongalia County, WV at Brown’s Hill and Greene County, PA.

Saturday & Sunday, August 22^nd & 23^rd, 10 am to 5 pm – POW – WOW & Cultural Festival, Native American arts and culture; regalia, drumming, singing, story telling; style crafts, jewelry, clothing.  Auctions at 2:30 pm.  Native American fry bread, Indian tacos, other foods and drinks. $5 adults, children free under 12.

Contact: Phyllis Bruce on 304-662-6496 (leave a message).

See also an article from last year: Mason-Dixon Line celebrated on 250th anniversary

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The Future Looks Brighter for Dunkard Creek

From the Editorial, Washington PA Observer-Reporter, August 10, 2015

Six years ago next month, toxins from an algae not common to Southwestern Pennsylvania killed fish, mussels, salamanders and other aquatic life along a 30-mile stretch of Dunkard Creek in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

The algae was later identified as golden algae, which state and federal environmental agencies investigating the kill described as an organism normally found only in southern coastal waters with high levels of salt and minerals. The agencies agreed what created the conditions for the algae to thrive in Dunkard Creek were the very high levels of chlorides and other contaminants from mine water discharges at Consol Energy’s Blacksville No. 2 Mine.

Last week, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission reported it had reached a tentative settlement in a lawsuit it filed in West Virginia for damages it claims were caused by the mine’s polluted discharges. Though Consol was named in the suit, the liability has been assumed by the Murray Energy Corp., which in December 2013 purchased Consol’s northern West Virginia mines.

Details of the agreement were withheld pending finalization of the settlement. However, in stories published on the proposed agreement, John Arway, Fish and Boat Commission executive director, said any money that may be included in the settlement will be used to help further the recovery of the creek. The creek is coming back, he said, and any money received through the settlement would be used to hasten its return.

As part of an earlier settlement for Clean Water Act violations with federal regulators, Consol also had agreed to pay a $5.5 million civil penalty and construct a water treatment plant to treat chlorides discharged from its mines in northern West Virginia, including the Blacksville No. 2 coal mine.

That treatment plant in Marion County WV went on line in 2013 and should help ensure another fish kill, at least from golden algae, won’t happen again. It also will help ensure any money invested in the creek won’t go to waste.

All of that should be good news to local fishermen, who once reported catching 40 and 50 inch muskellunge in the waters of Dunkard Creek before the September 2009 fish kill.

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Subject: Dunkard Creek Fish Kill and Recovery, August 11, 2015

I have just read the Editorial from the Washington PA Observer-Reporter about Dunkard Creek and the settlement pending for damage from the 2009 algae bloom that killed over 40,000 fish and thousands of other creatures.

The article is reminiscent of catching big muskie in Dunkard Creek. Well, the fact is that BIG muskie are thriving at this time in Dunkard Creek’s feeder streams. The rapid reappearance of adult muskie (36 inches and up) is explained by WV-DNR as “they came up from the river.” As many as nine of the big fish have been identified in a half-mile stretch when the water was low and clear, 30 miles upstream from the Monongahela River.

Initial fish population recovery was fast and the fishing was good even a couple of years after the kill. It was easy to catch bass and bluegill. But now the muskie seem to be keeping those populations in check. WV-DNR should promote Dunkard Creek as a muskie stream.

See the interesting and comprehensive historical summary on the Dunkard Creek fish kill entitled “What Killed Dunkard Creek?”

Betty Wiley, Dunkard Creek Watershed Association

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NOTE: Marcellus shale drilling and fracking continue on hilltops overlooking Dunkard Creek. Dunkard Creek continues to be at some risk from such operations.  Marcellus shale drilling pads in Monongahela County include the Beach, Boggess, Campbell, Coastal, Eddy, Jenkins, Kassay, Statler, and Yost Pads with multiple wells present in most cases. The WV-DEP Office of Oil & Gas maintains an on-line database for these natural gas wells.

Also, the Dunkard Creek water quality continues to be spoiled by the legacy underground & surface coal mines that contribute acid mine drainage, i.e. sulfuric acid dissolved in the water and ferric hydroxide as a finely divided suspension resulting in a yellow-orange precipitate which can be seen along the lower (eastern) section as the flow joins the Monongahela River in Greene County, Pennsylvania.

PA-DEP investigating large spill in Little Mingo Creek, Washington Co. PA

From an Article by Scott Beveredge, Washington PA Observer-Reporter, September 20, 2014

Precision Pipeline workers have rinsed down the area around Little Mingo Creek where nontoxic bentonite clay spilled into the creek Saturday. The retention wall helped collect the sediment of the clay to be pumped out of the creek. The spill was due to a Sunoco pipeline drilling project when the drill bit hit something in the ground that resulted in the clay spraying out of the hole. The bentonite clay is used for lubrication when drilling.

The state Department of Environmental Protection is investigating a large spill of gray drilling sludge into Little Mingo Creek in Nottingham and Union townships.

The DEP believes the substance is nontoxic bentonite clay Precision Pipeline of Waynesburg used Thursday for a Sunoco pipeline construction project related to the Marcellus Shale natural gas industry, said the department’s spokesman John Poister.

“We are concerned the cleanup has taken this long,” Poister said Saturday. He said the PA-DEP is monitoring for the possibility of a fish kill and may alert Pennsylvania American Water Co. that the spill discovered at 6 p.m. Thursday is located in a Monongahela River tributary upriver from the company’s water intake pipe.

The U.S. Coast Guard offered to assist in the cleanup, and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency is aware of the spill. The PA-DEP has employees at the site and determined Saturday afternoon no animal deaths occurred because of the spill, Poister said. “At this point it appears to be contained,” Poister said at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

Sunoco is constructing a 50-mile pipeline across Washington and Westmoreland counties to Delmont to ship natural gas byproducts to the East Coast. The drilling project behind Mingo Creek Church resulted in lubrication spraying out of the hole and into the creek when the drill bit encountered something in the ground, Poister said. He said the PA-DEP had yet to determine how much of the sludge entered the creek.

Evidence shows that frack well site fire polluted creek & killed fish and other creatures

From an Article by Casey Junkins, Wheeling Intelligencer, July 22, 2014

Article Photos: An EPA report states that about 70,000 fish and other aquatic life were found dead near the Statoil Eisenbarth well pad and Opossum Creek in Monroe County following the June 28 fire.

HANNIBAL – Water samples of runoff taken shortly a June 28 fire at a Monroe County natural gas drilling site show the presence of many fracking chemicals and resulted in roughly 70,000 dead fish and other aquatic life.

Regulators counted roughly 70,000 dead fish, frogs, crayfish, salamanders and other aquatic after the accident at the Statoil Eisenbarth well pad. Environmental Protection Agency documents state tests show the presence of benzene, ethylbenzene, xylenes, toluene, and pyrene – all chemicals commonly used during well fracking.

“It is a significant incident,” said, Bethany McCorkle, spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, which oversees the permitting and spacing of natural gas wells in the Buckeye State. “However, our investigation is not yet complete.”

“I went to the site myself to take some photos,” said Nathan Johnson, an attorney representing the Ohio Environmental Council. “There are lots of dead bluegill, smallmouth bass and minnows. I couldn’t walk without stepping on a dead minnow.” The EPA report shows water readings in Opossum Creek have since returned to normal, while regulators found no pollution or dead fish in the Ohio River.

Upon reporting to the scene June 28, federal regulators reported numerous fires were observed across the well pad and a well head was observed releasing flowback water. The EPA report states Statoil hired international oilfield services giant Halliburton to drill and frack at the Eisenbarth pad.

McCorkle said Halliburton and Statoil promptly provided information regarding the chemicals on-site. “We asked for the reports June 30 and got them June 30,” she said. McCorkle said the fire appeared to begin when a hose malfunctioned in the middle of a fracking job. The fire spread to a total of 20 trucks. She said no workers or residents reported injuries, but about 20 homes living near the well evacuated as a precautionary measure.

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Subject: Halliburton delayed releasing details on fracking chemicals after OH spill

A fracking company made federal and state agencies that oversee drinking-water safety wait days before it shared a list of toxic chemicals that spilled from a drilling site into a tributary of the Ohio River.

Although the spill following a fire on June 28 at the Statoil North America well pad in Monroe County stretched 5 miles along the creek and killed more than 70,000 fish and wildlife, state officials said they do not believe drinking water was affected.
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By the time federal and state EPA officials were given the full list, those chemicals likely flowed past towns along the Ohio River that draw in drinking water.
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Kirsten Henriksen, a spokeswoman for Statoil, said the company hired an outside toxicology firm to test both the creek and the Ohio River for toxic chemicals. None were found in the Ohio River, she said.

Isn’t that a typical O & G company approach that — the company waits for their own toxicology reports to determine whether and when to report it? This may be or should be criminal behavior.

Reference: Article by Laura Arenschield, Columbus Dispatch, July 21, 2014 entitled:

“Halliburton delayed releasing details on fracking chemicals after Monroe County spill.”

Eastern Ohio Well Pad opposite Wetzel Co., WV

Fish kill in eastern Ohio (may be) linked to fire at fracking well

From an Article by Jim Woods, Columbus Dispatch, June 30, 2014

The State of Ohio is investigating a fish kill in an eastern Ohio creek near where a fire occurred at a shale-well fracking site on Saturday.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources learned yesterday of the fish kill in Possum Creek in Monroe County, said Jason Fallon, an agency spokesman. Fallon said he did not have details about the extent of the kill. “I can’t confirm if it’s related to the gas-well fire,” he said.

Phillip Keevert, director of the Monroe County Emergency Management Agency, said Division of Wildlife agents were inspecting the creek yesterday and confirmed that a kill occurred.

The Eisenbarth well pad caught fire on Saturday because of a malfunction in hydraulic tubing, authorities said. Fire spread to about 20 trucks lined up on the well pad, triggering explosions that spewed clouds of black smoke.

The trucks that caught fire are used in hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as fracking. Statoil North America operates eight wells on the pad.

At the height of the fire, 20 to 25 families that live within a mile of the site were evacuated. They were allowed to return home on Saturday evening.

A number of area residents reported the fish kill yesterday. Jack Shaner, deputy director of the Ohio Environmental Council, said he has been told that the kill stretched for a few miles. Shaner said he suspects that chemicals used in fracking ran into the creek when firefighters extinguished the blaze.

“It sounds like it was not just smoke and not just fire, but a major fish kill,” he said. “Both the company and state agencies owe the public a full public accounting of what went wrong and how they are going to prevent future occurrences.”

Statoil North America officials could not be reached for comment. All 17 of the company’s Ohio wells are in Monroe County.

Subject: Reflections: Dunkard Creek Art Exhibit Final Display, at Wheeling Jesuit University

September 2013 marks the end of the two year tour of “Reflections: Homage to Dunkard Creek.” Since September 2011, thousands of people have filed through galleries and read about Reflections in newspapers and magazines.  Because of the efforts of each one of us, Dunkard Creek has not been forgotten.

Now the show is preparing for its final opening on September 6, 2013 at Kirby Art Gallery, Wheeling Jesuit University in Wheeling, West Virginia.  I hope many of you can arrange to attend. The exhibit will be open to the public from noon until 5:00pm Monday-Friday until the closing reception on October 10. For more specific show information, please phone Georgia Tambasis at 304-243-2096 or email her at gtambasis@wju.edu.

The sponsorship of the show has followed Director Brent Bailey in his professional transition from the Mountain Institute to the West Virginia Land Trust.  Work will be returned to the artists or buyers shortly after the close of the show.

It has been such an honor and a pleasure to have worked with you in creating a powerful witness to a colossal wrong. The public reception of these works has been most impressive and pleasing.

Thank you, Ann Payne, Morgantown, WV (Paynestake@frontier.com)

Restoration plans were described on August 25^th in Morgantown for Dunkard Creek.  In September of 2009, some 22,000 fish and thousands of mussels (14 species) were decimated by the toxins from an extensive golden algae bloom. The algae may well have invaded from Texas or Oklahoma where it is rather common, in brackish waters.  The algae bloom was possible because of the high level of total dissolved solids resulting from mining operations, over 20,000 parts per million (or milligrams per liter).

CONSOL has now broken ground on a $200 million water treatment facility near Mannington (Marion county) to remove dissolved inorganic compounds (salts) from about 2500 gallons per minute of contaminated mine water from three area mines, namely Blacksville 2 (Monongalia county), Loveridge (Marion county), and Robinson Run (Harrison county).  The treated product water will go to the Hibbs Reservior, which drains into Buffalo Creek.  The residue filter cake and crystallized salts will be landfilled near the treatment plant.

The WV Division of Natural Resources (DNR) described a five year project to restore smallmouth bass and 30 inch muskies to Dunkard Creek.  Another project was described to restore six mussel species if possible, described as difficult and complex.   Mussels depend upon adequate water flow and a fish population as well as limits on contaminants.  Seasonal variations in flow rate and water removals for mining operations and Marcellus hydrofracking could be a serious challenge for the mussel restoration plan.  Northeast Natural Energy already has Marcellus drilling operations ongoing near Dunkard Creek.

David Wellman of WV-DNR reported that earlier instances of golden algae detection in other streams of West Virginia were probably in error, and that even Dunkard Creek has not shown the presence of the golden algae since November of 2009.  Apparently, golden algae are very difficult to detect and easily misidentified. Residual golden algae may well remain in Dunkard Creek. And, the theory still remains that the occurrence of the golden algae in Dunkard Creek arose from contaminated trucks working here in the Marcellus gas industry, from Texas or Oklahoma.

Information on the 2009 Dunkard Creek Fish Kill is available from the WV-Department of Environmental Protection. Shortly, the WV-DNR is to post their “Proposed Dunkard Creek Fish and Mussel Restoration Plan” on the following web-site and provide for a thirty day comment period:    Select the “Fishing” category at www.wvdnr.gov

The Morgantown Dominion Post today reports that the algae found a few weeks ago in a pond near the West Virginia-Pennsylvania border is not golden algae, an algae that led to a massive fish kill in Dunkard Creek in 2009.    Frank Jernejcic, District 1 fisheries biologist for the Division of Natural Resources, revealed the news yesterday. A final resolution has not been issued because those involved want to understand why there was disagreement in initial findings.
   
CONSOL has monitored the Dunkard watershed area after elevated levels of total dissolved solids caused an algae bloom that released a toxin killing most of the aquatic life in Dunkard Creek. Mine discharges from Blacksville No. 2 included possible wastewater from coal mine degassing and fracking flowback water. 

In addition to paying $200 million to construct water treatment facilities, violations of the federal Clean Water Act at six West Virginia coal mines has resulted in CONSOL Energy paying $500,000 to restore the fish population in Dunkard Creek. The order entered this week by U.S. District Judge Frederick P. Stamp Jr. finalizes the litigation against CONSOL by both federal and the WV-DEP for violations, some of which apparently took place at mines on Monongalia, Marion, Marshall and Brooke counties.