Waste water treatment plant permit denied

BY BRIAN BISHOP

ATHENS TWP. - A conditional use permit for a facility to treat waste water generated by the natural gas drilling industry in the Valley Industrial Park in Athens Township was denied by the Athens Township Supervisors following a recent public hearing.

On a motion by Supervisor E. Maurice Fay, seconded by Jack Walter, the supervisors voted unanimously to deny the conditional use application.

A conditional use permit was required because the treatment facility is a "use not provided for" in the township's zoning regulations. The property proposed for the site of the plant is currently zoned as industrial.

Representatives from the company that planned to build the facility, Somerset Regional Water Resources, and the engineering firm on the project, MWH, were on hand to discuss the project. Larry Mostoller, president of Somerset, said that the company's intent is to recycle the waste water and send it back to the drill sites, and that any discharge from the plant would meet potable water standards. Mostoller said it would cost a great deal of money to construct the plant in an environmentally safe way, and estimated the cost of the project at around $15-20 million.

"I'm not about hurting you ... That's not who I am," Mostoller said. He said he has been a life-long resident of Pennsylvania, originally from Somerset County, and that he believed in being environmentally conscious.

Mostoller and the engineering firm representatives answered questions from the supervisors and the public in attendance about the operation of the facility. The company planned to construct 11 earthen-lined ponds or pits to hold water, Mostoller said, with each pond being double-lined and having a leak detection system installed.

When asked about how many trucks would be entering the site each day, an engineering firm representative said the facility would accept as many as 15 trucks per hour, or around 360 trucks per day. The facility would have included lighting and would have operated 24 hours a day, Mostoller said.

While an engineer's report submitted to the township as part of the conditional use application stated the facility would accept up to 1.5 million gallons a day, Mostoller said that was a mistake on the application and that the facility would treat around 500,000 gallons a day. With a truck capacity of 5,000 gallons per truck, he said a more accurate assessment of truck traffic associated with the plant would be around 100 trucks a day carrying water, with an additional number of trucks, approximately five, to haul by-products produced in the treatment process.

Supervisor Fay voiced concerns about the shallow water table in the area where the plant was proposed to be located, the amount of traffic, and the site's proximity to neighboring homes and businesses.

"If we're unable to make you comfortable with what we're trying to do, we're willing to accept that decision," Mostoller told the supervisors, stating that there were advantages and disadvantages to locating the plant on the site.

A roomful of residents voiced many concerns over the project, including the amount of increased truck traffic on roads leading to the site, the possibility of water contamination, and the plant's proximity to a youth soccer field, among others. Residents gave the supervisors petitions against the facility, with approximately 76 signatures, according to Supervisor Robin Smith.

In an interview Thursday, Smith said: "The burden of proof was on the applicant to show they met our criteria (for a conditional use permit) ... They did not meet the majority of our criteria for a conditional use." Smith added that her personal belief is that the site is not the proper location for a waste water treatment facility. The water produced in the gas drilling industry needs to be cleaned, she said, but there are "too many unknowns" because the water treatment process is new to the area currently.

The company will have 30 days to appeal the township's decision to the court of common pleas, Smith said.

Brian Bishop can be reached at (570) 888-9652; or e-mail: bbishop@thedailyreview.com.