FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 29, 2019 Contact: Bob Schmetzer, CPAR, schmetzer4008@comcast.net, 724-378-0731 Debra Smit, Breathe Project, dsmit@breatheproject.org, 412-760-7677

Shell Pipeline Drilling in the Ambridge Reservoir Watershed Puts 50,000 People in Jeopardy of Losing Their Water Supply

DEP Issues Violation Notice to Shell for Spilling 500 Gallons of Drilling Fluids, Including Impacts to Wetlands and Raccoon Creek

Citizens to Protect the Ambridge Reservoir (CPAR) has issued a public advisory to alert Beaver and Allegheny county residents that a source of drinking water to 30,000-50,000 people and businesses is seriously at risk. Shell Pipeline LLC is currently engaged in pipeline construction activities within the Ambridge Reservoir watershed and in close proximity to the raw water line. CPAR learned during a joint meeting at the DEP this month with representatives from Shell Pipeline, the Ambridge Water Authority, Mountain Watershed Association and CPAR that Shell will only establish a promised emergency backup water interconnect BEFORE the Falcon Pipeline goes into operation, not during the current construction phase. This means that Shell is engaging in disruptive activities without a backup system that would provide residents with anything beyond the 2 days of severely conserved* water now promised in the event of an accident, says CPAR. The “conserve water” mandate during those 2 days would reduce the existing supply by more than 70%. The Ambridge Reservoir supplies water to more than 30,000 customers in nine municipalities of Beaver and Allegheny County, as well as water to the hospitals, schools, mills, and fire departments in those municipalities. “The deal signed between Shell and the Ambridge Water Authority (January, 2019) puts residents who drink the water at risk,” says Bob Schmetzer of CPAR. “Shell has put the entire water system into jeopardy during the current construction and drilling process by not supplying a backup interconnect during the construction and drilling phase. This is putting the cart ahead of the horse.”

Shell also informed CPAR that it will not monitor water quality during these initial phases. CPAR is concerned because the bentonite clay and fluids used in pipeline construction drilling have been known to leach into and contaminate local water. Though the Ambridge Water Authority will continue, during construction, to monitor water quality according to Environmental Protection standards, those standards do not require monitoring for the bentonite or the construction drilling fluids. Another accident involving the Falcon pipeline construction has already occurred. On July 24, 2019, the DEP issued a violation notice of the Clean Streams Law to Shell Pipeline for spilling 500 gallons of drilling fluids that could impact the Independence Marsh wetland and Raccoon Creek in Beaver County. DEP approval is required before drilling operations there are allowed to resume. “The spill at Beaver County Conservation District illustrates the lack of consideration of the human impact associated with the Falcon Pipeline,” said Josh Eisenfeld, marketing and communications director, Fair Shake. “The Department of Environmental protection waited two days to notify anyone of this spill. When a spill occurs people should be notified immediately so they can assess damage associated to protect their livelihood. There are a number of farmers in the area whose fields lie in the floodplain downstream of the spill and as far as we know none were notified.” "These violations demonstrate that the Falcon's construction poses a threat to customers of the Ambridge Water Authority, in addition to those who rely on drinking water obtained from other sources along the pipeline's 97-mile path - including the Ohio River, the Tappen Reservoir, and private water wells," said Erica Jackson with FracTracker Alliance. On December 20, 2018, the DEP approved 3 Chapter 105 permit applications and 1 Chapter 102 permit application from Shell Pipeline Company for the Falcon ethane pipeline project despite many objections raised by environmental groups throughout the permitting review process. Within seven months, Shell Pipeline has received the following notices of violations for inadvertent returns, including the current violation on July 24, 2019: Notices of Violation:

• July 24, 2019 Beaver County (PDF) • April 26, 2019 Allegheny County (PDF) • June 7, 2019 Allegheny County (PDF) • July 15, 2019 Beaver County (PDF)

“Within 7 months, Shell Pipeline has received several notices of violations for inadvertent returns, including the current violation on July 24, 2019,” said Matt Mehalik of the Breathe Project. “Beaver and Allegheny residents, along with the Ambridge Water Authority, warned the DEP of the risks in allowing the Falcon pipeline to cross through the Ambridge Reservoir watershed and the Independence Marsh – risks that are now being realized by these events.” “The residents of Beaver County are living in the sacrifice zone,” added Schmetzer. “Shell has proven again and again that the company is not a good neighbor and cannot be trusted.”

##