Suspected Fracking-Fluid Filled Barrels Found in Creek Near Clinton AR

Suspected Fracking-Fluid Filled Barrels Found in Creek Near Clinton AR

arkansasmatters.com

An apparent environmental problem is unfolding in Van Buren County.

Roger Rorie, the mayor of Clinton says twenty, 55-gallon drums of what he says is fracking fluid have been found in Choctaw Creek near Clinton.

(visit the link for the full news article)

We had a tornado watch out today so I was checking out our local forecast when I saw this at the top of the page. With all the talk of fracking and the recent bird and fish deaths in Arkansas amongst the numerous amounts of daily earthquakes, I thought it was prudent to submit this for discussion.

There isn't much in the article as of yet, but anything new that I find I will update this thread.

arkansasmatters.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

www.todaysthv.com...

After testing at the water treatment facility, it was identified as a chemical used in the fracking process during natural gas drilling.

Mayor Rory says 15-20 barrels of the fracking chemical are being pulled from the creek which feeds into the water treatment facility.

Mayor Rory says previous to this, they had taken calls about illegal dumping into the creek, but the Van Buren County Sheriff's Department says they do not know how the barrels got into the creek.

Its not fracking fluids. Those are transported in trucks, its not feasable to transport it in barrels to a location.

Here is what it is
www.anchorusa.com...

If the person would have done more research, they could have seen what it was. It has nothing to do with fracturing of geologic formations.

reply to post by Itachimaru

Great find, They really messed up this time. I wondered if they were still drilling what they were doing with the fracking water. There are companies in Arkansas that could have disposed of it. This just goes to show they care nothing about the people or the State.

Environmental Protection Agency officials have taken more than 20 barrels of a fracking chemical out of Choctaw Creek since Thursday afternoon, according to Clinton Mayor Roger Rorie.

www.arkansasonline.com...

Originally posted by JBA2848
www.todaysthv.com...

After testing at the water treatment facility, it was identified as a chemical used in the fracking process during natural gas drilling.

Mayor Rory says 15-20 barrels of the fracking chemical are being pulled from the creek which feeds into the water treatment facility.

Mayor Rory says previous to this, they had taken calls about illegal dumping into the creek, but the Van Buren County Sheriff's Department says they do not know how the barrels got into the creek.

This still sounds a bit suspect. Why would they have to take it to the city water treatment facility? You can read off the barrels what it is, and fracking fluids are generally transported in large quantities.

The label lists it as a biocide to prevent bacterial contamination in drilling completion fluids. That certainly is not a "fracking fluid"

No matter what industry was using it. It should not be in the creek.
en.wikipedia.org...

Hazards and environmental risksBecause biocides are intended to kill living organisms, many biocidal products pose significant risk to human health and welfare. Great care is required when handling biocides and appropriate protective clothing and equipment should be used. The use of biocides can also have significant adverse effects on the natural environment. Anti-fouling paints, especially those utilising organic tin compounds such as TBT, have been shown to have severe and long-lasting impacts on marine eco-systems and such materials are now banned in many countries for commercial and recreational vessels (though sometimes still used for naval vessels).[citation needed]

It absolutely should not be in the creek, especially being a biocide.

But Anco WT-22 is not a fracking fluid, and it causes more hysteria to call it that I suppose.

reply to post by firepilot


Actually, you'd be better off not relying on the manufacturers information....

try this: www.anchorusa.com...

THIS PRODUCT CONTAINS HAZARDOUS MATERIALS AS DEFINED BY THE OSHA HAZARD COMMUNICATION STANDARD 29 CFR 1910.1200. AS DEFINED UNDER SARA 311 AND 312, THIS PRODUCT CONTAINS MATERIALS THAT ARE ACUTE, CHRONIC HAZARDS

that's alarming enough.

reply to post by Maxmars


Those chemicals do show up on the list of fracking fluids.

democrats.energycommerce.house.gov...

Originally posted by Maxmars
reply to post by firepilot

 

Actually, you'd be better off not relying on the manufacturers information....

try this: www.anchorusa.com...

But you just linked to the manufacturer too.

Reading that too, makes it look more and more like its absolutely not a fracturing agent. Still something that should not be dumped into water bodies. Hopefully though the barrels did not leak

Originally posted by JBA2848
reply to post by Maxmars

 

Those chemicals do show up on the list of fracking fluids.

democrats.energycommerce.house.gov...

Thats actually not a list of fracturing fluids, but a compendium of chemicals or substances, used as a component in at least one fluid. Even nitrogen, mica, cellulose and urea on are in that list.

reply to post by firepilot


What was it doing in the creek at all, all of the fracking chemicals are pretty much poison?

reply to post by firepilot


Read the title of the report.
"CHEMICALS USED IN HYDRAULIC FRACTURING"

Originally posted by JBA2848
reply to post by firepilot

 

Read the title of the report.
"CHEMICALS USED IN HYDRAULIC FRACTURING"

yes, and go to the title of that list. Those are components of the chemicals used, not the individual fracturing fluids themselves. Mica is not a fracturing fluid or a fluid for that matter, but is used is in 3 of them. Basically that list is a list of "ingredients" and how many fluids use them.

I still do not think the WT-22 is a fracturing fluid.

Perhaps I am being misunderstood.

The MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) is not a 'production' of the company (in this case Anchorusa). It is a federal requirement that it exists in a very particular format with legally required information. Any manufacturer or distributor of the material MUST BY LAW be able to produce the MSDS for its product on demand, and most include it on their websites to limit liability if some jerk should try to put it in a pipe and smoke it or something.

The previous sheet was the manufacturers product sheet which, if you scrutinize it, does not tell you that it is considered a hazardous material and is a class 8 corrosive.

Furthermore, the fact that the industry's lobbying agents were able to get this classified as a biocide does not negate the chemical realities of the substance. Calling it a biocide simply tells you it's intended use, not anything about its properties... alcohol is a biocide as is bleach or ammonia, yet it is not categorized by that term since it's intended uses vary.

Also, a fracking fluid does not mean this is the magic substance that makes fracking possible. This is one among several chemical components used in the process. Perhaps the idea of its use is to avoid contaminating natural gas with any biological creatures that might break down the fuel being extracted.

Since I am not an engineer of that type I can't say for certain.

Any fan of Battlestar galactica will love this thread-
I mean what the frak are fracking fluids?

Sorry I just had too-so say we all.

Originally posted by Silcone Synapse
Any fan of Battlestar galactica will love this thread-
I mean what the frak are fracking fluids?

Sorry I just had too-so say we all.

Its basically a procedure using acid under pressure, pumped down to the petroleum bearing formation, to open it up so that the hydrocarbons can flow easier.

The original article posted was updated with new information.

Roger Rorie, the mayor of Clinton says twenty, 55-gallon drums of what he says is fracking fluid have been found in Choctaw Creek near Clinton. Choctaw Creek feeds into the city's water source. The situation is being ranked as a level 3 hazard with level 4 being the worst. Fracking fluid is a by-product of natural gas drilling operations.

A number of agencies are on the scene to clean things up and determine how the barrels got there. A staging area is set up where the creek runs under the Highway 65 bridge.

Officials tell KARK 4 that it's thought the barrels were put in a field that flooded and they were picked up by floodwaters and washed into the creek. Some of the barrels were open, but it's not yet known how many.

The barrels were found on Thursday afternoon by a fisherman. They are being collected by Van Buren County rescue crews and will be taken to the staging area.

Choctaw Creek is three miles from the Clinton Water Plant's intake area. Mayor Rorie says the city has been having water purification problems for the past few weeks because of an unknown substance they kept their chemicals from working. The process is now being monitored around-the-clock so that any changes can be spotted immediately.

The barrels still have their labels and lot numbers, which should allow them to be traced to the company responsible for them.

Seems the water treatment for the city has been effected for weeks before they found the cause. These fracking barrels.

reply to post by Itachimaru


This is completely unsurprising.

Big Dog Drilling (featured on Black Gold the tv show) was busted for dumping their sewage into an unlined pit.

My dad used to work for a company called Caldwell Electric, and i have heard stories that they would bury old transformers and such rather than paying to have them destroyed safely. I would guess there are a few thousand at the very least buried in the "oil patch". Same with parts off of tank batteries.

Robinson Drilling has had some issues in years past. Actually, most drilling orgs that were around back in the mid 80's all had their run ins with OSHA and EPA.

The hard part is finding out who dumped the fluid. Won't be easy, but it can be done. Then you will see a drilling company fined into bankruptcy.

BTW, I know I am being a grammar Nazi (and i don't direct this at the OP), but it isn't "fracking". There is no "k". "Frac" is short for "fracture". No "k".