Resources and Links (Shared by Pam Taylor)
To
track the wells:
To see the wells in Lenawee
County, use the MIDEQ map
below. This map is updated monthly. First,
use this map to find the well number. You might want to magnify the map to 200%
or so, using the control at the top to make it easier to see the numbers and to
read the key. The key on the right explains everything. This map is updated
monthly, and it’s a pretty quick way to see the most current status. Class II
brine disposal injection wells have a blue triangle around their circle. (These
are the ones that may be associated with earthquakes, according to a recent
USGS Report.) You don't necessarily need to have "fracked" wells
(although some would say that all wells are "fracked" to some extent)
in order to use injection to dispose of the waste fluids. Often Class II brine
disposal wells are located at tank farms.
http://www.dnr.state.mi.us/spatialdatalibrary/pdf_maps/mineral_lease_information/lenawee_lease_information.pdf
Once
you know the number, you can look up more data here. (You might have to adjust
your Java settings; this might work easier with Google Chrome than Internet
Explorer, if you have a choice of browsers.)
http://ww2.deq.state.mi.us/mir/
Click on "Well Data Search", then "Well Information", then
all you have to do is type in the well number that you took from your map. If
nothing comes up when you type in a number, it probably means that the driller
has requested confidentiality and that it won't be listed until the
confidentiality period has expired. You can still see the location of the wells
on the map (above link), which is the reason for the suggestion to use the map
first. This database isn't as current.
Current Class II brine disposal injection wells are on Knight Hwy. in Adrian Township
and along U. S.
223 in Palmyra Twp.; a new one just was permitted on Shepherd Rd. also in Adrian Twp. These
are the type of wells that, according to the USGS, have not been ruled out as
contributory factors in earthquakes in Ohio
and the Midwest. Waste, including fracking fluid and/or
flowback, from the drilling process, and from processing the extracted oil, is
pressure-injected deep into the earth. These
wells are:
- Savoy Energy,
McMunn Farms, Palmyra
Township, No. 60531
(This well is between U.
S. 223 and Carleton Rd., just south of where Humphrey Hwy. dead
ends on U. S.
223.)
- Savoy Energy,
60152, Ruesink, Adrian
Township, No. 60152
(This well is on Knight Hwy.,
between Emery and Moore Rds.)
- The third well
is EPA permit request MI-091-2D-0003, Goetz property off of Shepherd Rd., Adrian Twp., dated June 27, 2012. Well No. unknown at this point. This injection well is in the oil field
off Shepherd Rd.
(just look for the 24/7 flare), about three miles north of Adrian.
To
get information about Class II underground injection wells planned:
EPA
well permit public notice and comment period information:
EPA
contact number to get on the Class II injection well notification list so you
can request a public hearing (they won't hold a public hearing unless a member
of the public requests one, and you won't know that an injection well is
planned unless you're on the list): Call the Region 5 EPA Office at
800-621-8431, press "0" at the prompt, the operator will put you
through to someone who will put you on the list. Public hearings are important
for media attention, and to inform the public and politicians so they can make
appropriate decisions, more than they are effective in getting these things
stopped.
To
find updated permits:
Putting
it all together:
In some parts of Lenawee
County, these wells are
located in the same places where CAFOs impact the environment. The overlap with the CAFO areas all starts
with the county drain system and the waterways. If spills/leaks occur, this will
first become apparent. Many of these wells run right on top of county drains
(some of which are underground), and the pipelines are laid along the banks of
ditches and streams. For instance, the
wells on Tipton Hwy.
that are just across Hunt Rd.
from the Adrian Township hall are on top of the Turner
Drain.
Here is the Lenawee County Drain map. Click on the township, then magnify.
Natural waterways, i.e., Wolf
Creek, the River Raisin, Lake Adrian,
do not appear on this map unless they are part of the maintained drain system,
so you will have to overlay these with watershed maps to see the big picture.
http://www.lenaweedrain.com/images/DrainMaint/DrainMapSelect.htm
Leases extend all the way to the state line, running on a southeast diagonal from
Napoleon in Jackson
County through Riga Township
at the opposite corner of the County.
Resources
for help in water monitoring/testing programs, and help setting up a group:
Sierra
Club Michigan
Chapter
It
is up to the states to regulate and monitor these wastes. This page also has an excellent link about
testing near sites, Click on “How We
Test Water Around Fracking Sites”
Environmentally
Concerned Citizens of Southeast Michigan
(ECCSCM) – similar issue; different content
CAFO = Confined Animal
Feeding Operation. Permits administered
by the MIDEQ, under the U. S. EPA and the Clean Water Act. All CAFOs, and all operations that have had a
discharge to the waters of the state that caused those waters to not meet water
quality standards, must have an NPDES permit to discharge, along with a CNMP
(comprehensive nutrient management plan.
Manure scale: 1
cow = 20 people. We have around 20,000
cows located in this area. That’s
equivalent to the untreated waste of 400,000 people. For instance, a single, local, CAFO with a
permit allowance of 2,500 cows would produce manure equivalent to the waste of about
50,000 people. As of 2010, Lenawee County had about 99,000 people.
