MIFFLIN TOWNSHIP (UPDATED at 1 p.m. with comments from pipeline)– An estimated 50,000 gallons of drilling fluids were dumped into wetlands in Mifflin Township in eastern Richland County by crews working on the Rover Pipeline, according to documents filed last week with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.
The spill involved drilling fluids from horizontal directional drilling related to construction of the buried pipeline being built by Houston-based Energy Transfer Partners.
James Lee, spokesman for the Ohio EPA, said the spill took place on Friday, April 14, in the area of Amoy-Pavonia Road and was reported to the EPA by Energy Transfer Partners.
According to Ohio EPA paperwork, the drilling fluids accumulated within an estimated 30,000 square foot area of wetlands. The drilling fluids, which included bentonite and cuttings from the natural formation, coated the area with a layer of mud and impacted water quality. Bentonite is a natural clay mud used as a lubricant for drilling.
After being informed of the spill, the Ohio EPA issued a notice of violation for the unauthorized discharge to waters of the state, in this case a wetland, Lee said.
Lee emphasized that no private wells or public water systems were impacted by the spill.
Vacuum trucks and pumping systems are being used by the company to clean up the spill and the Ohio EPA is monitoring the situation.
According to Lee, discharges of bentonite mud and other material into waters of the state (including wetlands) can affect water chemistry, and potentially suffocate wildlife, fish and macroinvertebrates. Any affected public water systems would need to apply extensive and costly treatment in order to remove the material from the source water.
It’s unknown if the company will receive any fines or further sanctions at this time.
“Right now, Ohio EPA is focused on cleanup,” Lee said.
In its filings, the EPA warned Energy Transfer Partners to stop dumping drilling fluids into the wetlands, clean up the dump site, and take appropriate steps to dispose of the drilling mud properly in the future.
According to Lee, small quantities of the bentonite had been coming to the surface during construction but construction crews were able to keep it contained, pumping the clay mud back to a rig, until a pump failed on April 14, allowing the spill.
Alexis Daniels, spokeswoman for Energy Transfer Partners, said in an e-mailed statement that Rover immediately referred to its procedures plan in place to properly dispose of the mud in accordance with all regulations and laws, as soon as the release was noted. Daniels emphasized that the drilling mud that was released is made up of natural clay and water and is non-toxic and it is not harmful to the environment.
Daniels said the spill has been completely cleaned up and the work on that section of the pipeline has been completed.
A larger spill from pipeline construction crews was reported in Stark County, where 2 million gallons spilled into a wetland adjacent to the Tuscarawas River.
The $4.2 billion Rover Pipeline will move natural gas produced by wells in the Marcellus and Utica shale formations from southeastern Ohio to distribution points in western Ohio, Michigan and Canada. The 713-mile pipeline, which will tatransport 3.25 billion cubic feet of natural gas each day, is expected to be finished and operating by the end of the year.
Construction on the pipeline started in March after the project received a certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in February.
