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The impacts of Marcellus Shale Gas Drilling Accidents on Amphibians in a Pennsylvania Fen
Journal Title
Wetlands Ecology and Management
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2021-02
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Abstract
Gas drilling into the Marcellus Shale play
has been linked to environmental issues, including
potential impacts on wildlife. In 2009, three separate
accidents occurred at two gas well sites in central
Pennsylvania, USA that resulted in high levels of
contaminants in Wallace Mine Fen and a headwater
stream that flows through the fen. We collected water
chemistry, vegetation, and amphibian data at the
impacted fen and at a control fen in 2012 and 2013 to
determine similarity of sites and the impacts of the
contaminants. We also reviewed water chemistry
reports generated by the Pennsylvania Department of
Environmental Protection for data collected shortly
after the accidents occurred to provide insight on the
nature of the accidents. Ordinations of vegetation data,
as well as water chemistry, showed that the two
wetlands are similar and dominated by the same plant
species and water chemistry. Historically, both wetlands
provided habitat for amphibians. However,
unlike in pre-accident amphibian data, we detected
virtually no amphibians in the impacted Wallace Mine
Fen, suggesting that amphibians were possibly negatively
affected by gas-drilling accidents.