Activists question NF Water Board and ask Reporter to investigate

Chemical “frack” water is forced down deep wells and then returns to the surface. The poisoned water must be disposed of somewhere. The Niagara Falls Water Board has considered treating it and then depositing it into the Niagara River. There are millions of profits to be had and at the same time deep concerns about the possibility of contaminating our drinking water, creating an environmental catastrophe that would dwarf Love Canal.

Re: Niagara Falls Reporter receives photos of ‘frack water’ taken at sewer plant, by Frank Parlato, Niagara Falls Reporter, Aug 21, 2012:

Waste water derived from hydrofracking contains hundreds of dangerous chemical contaminants. There is no technology able to clean up such water for its safe re-entry into the biosphere.

The Niagara Falls Water Board has many millions of gallons of unused capacity and is struggling to find additional toxic water treat -- i.e., additional sources of income -- in a setting where corporations continue to ship jobs overseas.

Hence the Water Board's immense interest in treating hydrofracking wastewater, and their desire to discover a way to clean up such water. Their studies on real hydrofracking waste water -- sent from a fracking site somewhere in Pennsylvania -- commenced in 2011.

In a public hearing before the NF Water Board last fall, the Western NY Peace Center -- and other local organizations -- requested the details of those studies. We have yet to receive them.

In his testimony at a December 2011 public hearing before the NYS Senate Standing Committee on Energy Conservation, Niagara Falls Water Board Executive Director Paul Drof reported in very general detail the results of the Water Board's efforts to clean up hydrofracking waste water.

During that hearing before NYS Senators Mark Grisanti and Patrick Gallivan, the following exchange between Senator Gallivan and Drof took place:

Senator Patrick Gallivan: "What do you do with the contam....contaminants that are removed?"

Paul Drof: "Currently right now? The contaminants ....."

Senator Patrick Gallivan: "Oh -- in this project that you did here..."

Paul Drof: "Right here? They were sent back to Pennsylvania for disposal...it was only about ...I think we received only 5 gallons of flow."

It's now obvious that not all the contaminants were sent back to Pennsylvania, as Drof testified 9 months ago.

On March 5, the Niagara Falls City Council unanimously passed a ban on storing and treating such waste water within Niagara Falls' city limits.

The recent report of several gallons hydrofracking waste water being tored at the Niagara Falls Water Board is troubling because it demonstrates that Drof was less than forthcoming in his testimony before Senators Grisanti and Gallivan, and it demonstrates Drof's disregard for city ordinances banning storage of frack water in Niagara Falls NY.

So Paul Drof thumbed his nose at Senators Gallivan and Grisanti, the NYS Senate, the Niagara Falls City Council, the citizens of Niagara Falls, and continues to thumb his nose at local organizations requesting the details of the Water Board's hydrofracking waste water studies.

The Niagara Falls Water Board should immediately release the details of their bench top attempts at cleaning up hydrofracking waste water.

Paul Drof's testimony can be viewed at:
http://shaleshockmedia.org/2011/12/14/5-paul-drof-canandaigua-fracking-waste-hearing-12-12-11/
The Exchange between Senator Gallivan and Paul Drof begins 18 minutes into Drof's testimony.