The Dunkard Creek Kill

Around September 1, 2009, fish began dying in Dunkard Creek, a 35 mile waterway that runs along the PA/WV southwest border and empties into the Monongahela River.  The creek crosses the border over 80 times in its course, passing through agricultural, mining and residential areas before it enters the river above Point Marion.

Salinity & conductivity levels in the creek suggest that the cause of the kill is wastewater from Hydraulic Fracture Mining, the process used to extract natural gas from shale beds.  Evidence seems to suggest that other indicators, such as the presence of golden-algae (Prymnesium parvum, a southern, saltwater algae), are secondary to the high presence of Total Dissolved Solids and chlorides: byproducts of the hydraulic fracture mining process.

NOLAFugees Press opened DunkardCreekKill.com to collect and archive press coverage, links, non-profit, and state, federal, and local government response to this ecological disaster.