There’s trouble in the water. Actually, no, there’s toxins in the water. PetroChina and Royal Dutch Shell owned Arrow Energy is reporting toxic levels of petroleum byproducts in water samples around its Moranbah Gas Project. The gas development project is based in Queensland’s Bowen Basin, Austrailia, and it has faced public opposition, specifically from farmers, amongst groundwater contamination concerns.
The contaminates are in no way a shocking discovery for Arrow, as their occurrence is relatively common in gas drilling sites. There seems to be no concern, however. Arrow claims that while the chemicals exist in their trace amount tests, they have not actively used any of them in their fraccing fluids. Further testing will hopefully show whether the chemicals, known as BTEX, are a natural occurrence or have been introduced by a third party.
Despite the fact that officials have declared the low amounts to be harmless and that there is no reason for public worry, skepticism remains, and I am skeptical myself. Considering the regulatory onslaught that’s occurring in the United States, it seems logical that companies are hoping to be as under the radar as possible. I’m not insinuating that Arrow would lie about the toxicity of the leak, but they instead may downplay the severity of the issue to a level they hope to be manageable. Whether or not this turns into anything remains to be seen, but even if there are no public health effects, I am left to wonder what damage the BTEX chemicals will do to the surrounding environment.
Sources: The Wall Street Journal
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