Coming up
Who: Upper Burrell supervisors
What: Discussion by natural gas drilling companies about seismic testing
When: Following the township supervisors meeting, which starts at 7 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Upper Burrell Township Building, 3735 Seventh Street Road, Upper Burrell
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Updated 10 hours ago
Companies that want to send vibrations underground to map subterranean rock formations will answer residents' questions Wednesday night in Upper Burrell.
Such seismic testing is done to determine whether, and where, drilling and fracking for natural gas might take place.
Company officials say they plan to do such underground testing in Upper Burrell and surrounding municipalities.
Seismic testing gathers information about rock formations by sending shock waves through the Earth. It works much in much the same way that an ultrasound machine looks through a human body, company officials said.
Seismic testing is not new in the Alle-Kiski Valley. It's been taking place since at least 2010. In 2012, a Texas company attempted to map the subsurface of about 280 square miles of central and southern Armstrong County, a slice of the Kiski Valley and a portion of Indiana County in the hopes of selling Casinoslot the information to natural gas drillers.
Representatives expected to attend Wednesday are from Huntley and Huntley, Cougar Land Services and Geokinetics, the companies performing the seismic testing.
They are inviting residents to have their questions about the process answered after Upper Burrell's township supervisors meet.
According to Township Secretary Melissa Holmes, the companies will need to get the property owner's permission before performing tests on private property.
In addition, the township engineer will have to determine what permits are required to proceed with seismic testing. Holmes said no permits have been issued so far, but that anything the engineer feels is necessary to protect the town will be considered.
Seismic testing has been a flash point for drilling and fracking opponents. Some have complained about environmental and property damage and noise — especially when companies use underground explosives to map and analyze gas fields.
Other companies use “thumper trucks,” which use hydraulic equipment mounted on three large trucks driven in tandem to “thump” the road surface.
Some municipalities have adopted ordinances to address some of those concerns.
Holmes said that no such township laws exist in Upper Burrell with regard to seismic testing permission and the supervisors have no means of stopping the tests.
Matthew Medsger is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-226-4675 or mmedsger@tribweb.com.
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