Mayor Scott Coleman introduced a discussion of “Liquid
Deicing" at the June 3rd Committee of the Whole Meeting, telling Council:
“I spoke with (Service Director) Thom Evans regarding different alternatives to assist in snow removal.
There are a couple of communities that do it (use liquid deicing—which entails spraying a liquid solution with rock salt on winter roads).
I asked Thom Evans to explore the possibilities and proposed it in the budgeting process.
He did propose it but it did not get put in the budget.”
It isn’t in the budget, but no matter.
The city is moving ahead with it anyway.
Service Director Thom Evans discussed the theory and process behind liquid deicing and explained that Lyndhurst had offered to supply liquid deicing solution---aka “brine”--- to the city at cost.
The city is moving ahead with it anyway.
Service Director Thom Evans discussed the theory and process behind liquid deicing and explained that Lyndhurst had offered to supply liquid deicing solution---aka “brine”--- to the city at cost.
All the city would have to do is drive its salt trucks over
to Lyndhurst and fill up there.
According to Evans, though, that would be a bother, especially in a bad snow storm.
According to Evans, though, that would be a bother, especially in a bad snow storm.
Instead he asked for funding to outfit a salt truck, to purchase
a 5,500 to 6,000 gallon liquid deicing storage tank and to do site prep work.
Evans said,
Evans said,
“I’d like to have two trucks, a storage tank and a dispenser here.
We can get some brine from Lyndhurst and some from a vendor and have it delivered here.”
Evans didn’t disclose the identity of his pre-selected
vendor, but he did mention that Cuyahoga Falls had access to free, unlimited
brine “from drilling operations.”
That sure got my attention.
The most harmless-sounding names are used in connection with frac drilling.
I always wondered if that was intentional---if the vocabulary was intended to
lull the public into a false sense of complacency.
After all, what’s to worry about “mud” and salt water “brine” right?
I don’t think you’d want your kids playing “Pattycake” with drilling “mud,” however.
Drilling “mud” is a combination of water, sand and industrial chemicals used to fracture rock.
After all, what’s to worry about “mud” and salt water “brine” right?
I don’t think you’d want your kids playing “Pattycake” with drilling “mud,” however.
Drilling “mud” is a combination of water, sand and industrial chemicals used to fracture rock.
And production “brine” ---that’s just plain old salt water.... right?
Think again.
I learned who Evans planned to purchase liquid deicing “brine”
from during a follow-up discussion last week: Nature’s Own Source, LLC (NOS) .
The president of the company is David I. Mansbery:
According to zoominfo.com, Mansbery:
“..has been…successfully involved in the oil and gas industry for over 35 years….(and) drilled and produced over 400 wells….
He is the inventor (of a patented) method for treating and reclaiming Oil and Gas Well Working Fluids in Drilling Pits.”
Mansbery is also listed as a “Board of Trustees Member” of the Ohio Oil and Gas Association,“..a trade association..involved in the exploration, production and development of crude oil and natural gas resources within the state of Ohio.”
Evans declared at the June 17th Committee of
the Whole meeting that NOS’s liquid deicing product:
“..does not come from drilling or the fracking process.
The (company’s) owner says it comes from the process of gas production. It is not part of gas drilling.”
The company’s website claims that its product:
“..is natural salt water brine produced from ancient seas date back…almost 425 years ago….
The source water..naturally contains a combination of calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, potassium chloride and sodium chloride perfectly balanced by nature for deciing or dust control.
Nature’s Own Source purifies the brine removing iron and other impurities.”
http://naturesownsource.com/product-information/
Wow, doesn’t that sound swell? Naturally occurring ancient sea water!
It seemed to sound good to Council President Cathy Murphy.
She told her fellow Council members:
She told her fellow Council members:
“It’s released during the gas drilling process.
It’s not from fracking. It’s a byproduct that is processed…
…It’s in the ground. It’s not the fracking mud. They take it to a facility where they purify it.”
Murphy announced,
“We have a healthy reserve in the (budget) 201 fund, and I’m thinking of budgeting $30,000 (for Evans’ liquid deicing plan).”
I wish I lived in a Disney World….like some public officials I know.
This is what scientific sources say:
“Produced water" is a byproduct of the oil and gas drilling industries. .. large quantities of produced water are created when natural gas is extracted from shale rock formations, in a process known as hydraulic fracturing or fracking.Produced water is primarily salty (or saline) water, but also contains varying amounts of:--hydrocarbons such as oil and grease--industrial chemical additives, whose exact formulations are often considered proprietary business information--radioactive materials such as radium 226 or 228 that occurs naturally in some geological formations (the industry acronym for these hazardous materials is NORM -- naturally occurring radioactive material)--sediments (quantified as total dissolved solids (TDS)
Produced water is considered hazardous waste and requires special disposal and handling.
http://energy.about.com/od/drilling/g/What-Is-Produced-Water.htm
Or this:
“Waste Water Byproducts of Shale Gas Drilling”:
Natural gas is retrieved from underground shale deposits through a process called hydraulic fracturing (also known as hydrofracking, fracking, hydro-fracturing, or fraccing)…
During hydrofracking, millions of gallons of water mixed with industrial chemicals and proppant (sand or ceramic particles) are blasted into the well bore to release natural gas…
Waste water that comes back up out of a shale gas well goes by two names: flowback and produced water…
Produced water. After drilling and fracturing of a well are completed, water may come up out of the well along with the natural gas. Some of this water is returned fracturing fluid and some is water that occurs naturally…
Flowback and Produced Water Are Hazardous
Flowback and produced water are considered hazardous waste and must be disposed of safely. According to the EPA, produced waters are typically disposed of in deep wells…
Flowback and produced water can contain salt, industrial chemicals, hydrocarbons and radioactive materials..
Flowback and produced water are highly salty.
This is because salts are added to the fracturing fluid and also released from the geologic formation.
Produced water is so famous for salinity that the hydrocarbon industry often refers to it simply as “saltwater” or “brine”…
Flowback and produced water contain chemicals that have been injected into the well to facilitate drilling..
Produced water can contain hydrocarbons – including the toxics benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene – which can be freed during the drilling process.
Water returned to the surface during drilling can carry naturally occurring radioactive materials, referred to by the industry as “NORM.”
Flowback and produced water from several large U.S. shale formations has been found to contain the radioactive element radium.
When produced water is salty and rich in chlorides, radium tends to be present in higher concentrations.
The EPA allows a maximum of 5 picocuries of radium per liter of drinking water. Produced water has been found to contain radium levels as high as 9,000 picocuries per liter [pCi/g]. “
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0141113613001621
And while NOS's materials claim that its
named products:
“...is a conservation of our Natural Resources…(because they are) natural saltwater solutions requiring no use of precious and costly freshwater”
consider this:
“Most wastewater management strategies, with the possible exception of underground injection, require some form of treatment. One of the consequences of treating these wastes is the generation of residual solids or concentrated brines that are separated from the treated water.
In some cases these residual wastes are themselves landfilled, or sent for underground injection. High concentrations of salts, metals and NORM in shale development wastewaters mean that residual solids will also contain high concentrations of these constituents. Disposal of residual waste in landfills raises the concern that landfill personnel and environmental quality may be at risk.”
http://wri.eas.cornell.edu/gas_wells_waste.html
Speaking of environmental impact, Nature's Own Source fact sheet states, with regard to "Ecotoxicity," "Degradability" and "Mobility in soil":
"No data available."
So forget all about those lovely “ancient seas”.
Think frac drilling, chemical contamination, toxic hydrocarbons and naturally occurring radioactive materials.
Think “purified” hazardous waste.
That’s what Mayor Coleman, Council President Cathy Murphy, Service Director Thom Evans, and the rest of Council (minus absentees Ed Hargate and Chuck Brunello) agreed will be spread on our city streets this winter.
The city is supporting the frac drilling industry by agreeing to use this drilling byproduct.
The city is supporting the frac drilling industry by agreeing to use this drilling byproduct.
Residents didn’t want frac gas wells in the city park.
Do you suppose they want drilling byproducts sprayed on our city streets?
Mayor Coleman, Cathy Murphy and the rest of Council didn’t listen before on this issue---
and they are playing deaf once again.
Shame, Shame on them
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| A screenshot from the Nature's Own Source website |
