NORWICH – At least four members of the City of Norwich plan to attend a natural gas symposium tomorrow sponsored by the New York State Conference of Mayors.
Mayor Joseph Maiurano said he would be attending “to confirm that safety precautions are in place” for potential natural gas drilling on city-owned land, for selling water from its reservoir and for treating wastewater from the many wells planned for the region.
Two natural gas companies have asked to purchase water from the city’s reservoir on state Rt. 23 as well as to lease city-owned land for drilling. City taxpayers own property on Tanner Hill surrounding the reservoir, 300 acres by the wastewater treatment plant on state Rt. 12 and 250 acres on West Hill.
“Whether we want to use any of the land for drilling is another question,” the mayor said. “But, we are in the water business. We can sell water. We have the capacity to supply and can produce more water than we have supplied. Our goal is to sell as much water as we can.”
The day-long symposium is intended to bring together a group of speakers who will help municipal leaders understand and address the myriad issues and concerns they face with respect to the Marcellus Shale natural gas exploration in the area.
Speakers will represent the following organizations: the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation; the Department of Transportation; the Environmental Facilities Corporation; the Energy Research and Development Authority; the Susquehanna River Basin Commission; the New York Farm Bureau; and the Northeast Gas Association.
Other city officials planning to attend are Public Works Superintendent Carl Ivarson, city Attorney Patrick Flanagan and Finance Director Bill Roberts.
Ivarson said he hoped to learn more from private wastewater treatment facility experts in Pennsylvania who may be in attendance at the meeting. Gas companies have been drilling more actively and for a longer period of time in the neighboring state. Geologists have pinpointed the highly desired Marcellus Shale in Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York.
“I’m hoping to learn what rules are in place for selling water and running drilling wastewater through the city’s treatment plant,” he said. The city began accepting drilling sewage last week for the first time.
The longtime public works director said he has worked with state environmental regulators “for years,” and feels confident that they will have answers.
Town of New Berlin Supervisor Ross Iannello, whose town owns the land surrounding Chenango Lake, the city’s reservoir feeder, said no buffers were in place that would serve to protect the water supply from drilling run-off sands and water. The New Berlin Town Board recently approved permits for seismic testing on eight roads in the town, a precursor to potential drilling in the future. But because Chenango Lake is privately owned, Iannello said New Berlin would have no authority to protect it.
Because natural gas companies are legally protected from disclosing the chemical make-up of the water it employs in the drilling process, environmentalists fear it is laced with a dangerous recipe of solvents and chemicals.
Iannello questioned whether gas companies could withdraw water from Chenango Lake. “I don’t think they could use the lake’s water. They would have to get permission from the Susquehanna Basin or the DEC,” he said.
New Berlin has been proactive in its dealings with natural gas companies. The town passed a new law six months ago that regulates seismic testing along right-of-ways. The regulation demands a $200 permit fee per road, a signed agreement to protect and restore them, and a certificate of insurance for $13 million.
“I don’t think any of the other towns have done what we’ve done to protect our roads, and I don’t understand why. We should all have a law in place that protects us,” Iannello said.