Salt, Metal, and Concrete

Letters to the Editor: May 7, 2011
Daily Star
http://thedailystar.com/opinion/x1859508512/Letters-to-the-Editor-May-7-2011

Salt, metal and concrete make a bad combination

By this time, the April 25 pro-drilling forum presented at the Holiday Inn will be over.

I would like to make some points that I haven't heard at other meetings. The recent fracking fluid spill in northern Pennsylvania contained extremely salty water. If you were to look up "Geologic Salt Formations Northeastern U.S." on the Internet, and go to "Major U.S. Salt Deposits," you will find that southern New York and northern Pennsylvania sit on top of major salt deposits that are hundreds to thousands of feet thick.

It's evident that the spill in Pennsylvania contains some of this salt. Anyone who has spread salt on concrete will have to admit that salt can eat through concrete. The fracking well pipes are supposedly encased in concrete to prevent leaks.

Also, anyone who drives a car in New York can see what salt does to metal. The gas well pipes are constructed from metal. Will my grandchildren or great-grandchildren curse me for not trying to prevent the installation and future breakdown of these wells and the contamination of their land?

Ken Nolan

Gilbertsville