Public water to extend to Dimock

MATT HUGHES

mhughes@timesleader.com

The state Department of Environmental Protection will host a press conference today at the Dimock Baptist Church, Dimock, to announce the extension of public water lines to the Susquehanna County community.

The Pennsylvania American Water Co. will extend lines from its system in Montrose, about six miles away.

Dimock has become synonymous with environmental damage from natural gas drilling since it was featured in Josh Fox’s documentary film “Gasland” earlier this year. DEP contends that as many as 18 private water wells were contaminated with methane gas after improperly-sealed Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. wells allowed a methane migration.

A private consulting firm announced on Sept. 16 that it found other chemicals, including industrial solvents such as toluene and ethylbenzene, in nearly every well in Dimock. Neither DEP nor Cabot has officially recognized those findings.

DEP announced Sept. 16 that it would commit $10.5 million for the project, though DEP plans to compel the driller to finance it. DEP has also already fined Cabot $240,000 for the Dimock contamination.

Cabot vehemently denies being responsible for the contamination and alleged in a 29-page letter sent by Cabot President Dan O. Dinges to DEP Secretary John Hanger on Wednesday that DEP is waging a public war on the company.

“Despite the fact that the company has presented overwhelming scientific evidence and historical documentation to the PaDEP proving it is not responsible for methane gas migration into local water wells, the PaDEP has chosen to ignore such evidence, preferring instead to base unprecedented and costly mandates on biased and unscientific opinions and accounts,” Dinges said in a press release Wednesday.

Representatives from DEP, including Hanger, and Pennsylvania American Water, as well as Dimock resident Victoria Switzer, will speak. No representative from Cabot is scheduled to speak.