ARE THERE EFFECTS OF HYDRAULIC FRACTURING ON CRYSTAL LAKE IN LYCOMING COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA?

We have been studying the water chemistry of Crystal Lake near Hughesville, PA, periodically since 2010, in order to establish baseline data prior to hydraulic fracturing just outside the watershed. In 2013, a hydraulic fracturing well (Able 5H, Chesapeake Appalachia LLC) was constructed and began operation. The well was plugged and capped in early 2015. On October 15, 2016, we reoccupied the sample sites to assess whether we could detect any differences in the inorganic water chemistry of the lake. On site, we measured pH, conductivity, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, alkalinity and acidity, and preserved samples for later analyses in the lab. We used ion chromatography to analyze for the cations ammonium, potassium, sodium, and calcium, all of which might indicate contamination by fracking fluid, as well as strontium and barium, potential indicators of contamination by produced water. We also analyzed the samples for a suite of anions, including chloride, bromide, nitrate and sulfate, all of which are potential contaminants from fracking operations. In addition, we analyzed filtered and unfiltered samples using ICP-OES for 11 metals. We observed very little difference in any of the parameters measured in 2010 and 2012 versus those measured in 2016, with the exception of slight increases in conductivity, turbidity and pH and a slight decrease in acidity. Our study indicated that if there were an effect on the lake from fracking operations, it was not long-lasting.