Greentech Lead America: Eureka Resources, a provider of
wastewater treatment solutions to the natural gas exploration and
hydrofracturing industry, said it will meet new standards set by the
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
The preparation will help reduce environmental hazards
and lower transportation and infrastructure costs associated with storage of
partially treated wastewater from oil and gas sites in the Marcellus Shale.
Eureka is prepared to meet or exceed the new standards
for treatment of oil and gas wastewater, including drilling and production
fluids, top hole and flow back waters, as well as those from oil and gas
transmission facilities.
Eureka said it has been meeting the new permit needs
since the expansion of its Williamsport plant was completed in November 2011.
The centralized treatment facility in Williamsport has the capacity to treat
10,000 barrels of wastewater per day.
The facility utilizes thermally efficient NOMAD
distillers as one of several key components in achieving the de-wasting
determination for wastewater from hydrofracturing operations in the Marcellus
Shale.
Producers using Eureka’s plants under the new permit will
reduce the need for disposal of water and save transportation and legacy costs
associated with disposal to injection wells in Ohio.
“Effectively treating the wastewater that results
from oil and gas operations is a difficult challenge for energy companies. We
are committed to providing a cost-effective, environmentally-sustainable method
for the treatment of their wastewater and its beneficial reuse,” said Dan
Ertel, president, Eureka.
DEP recently published its revised General Permit WGMR123
for the processing and beneficial use of oil and gas liquid waste. The permit
encourages the reuse of liquid waste after it has been treated or processed by
establishing water quality criteria that allow processed water to be managed,
stored and transported as fresh water.
The permit allows producers to utilize their existing
permitted water impoundments for storage of this de-wasted water, as necessary,
for beneficial reuse. Utilizing existing impoundments reduces the need for frac
tanks and their associated expense.
Eureka is currently permitting three additional sites
across Pennsylvania’s northern tier including one in Bradford County.