Site located on Crooked Creek between Avery Lake and Crooked Lake - SW section 25/SE section 26 in Montmorency County, south of Atlanta

After investigating what I thought was another well drilling iperation,  I discovered a Boring Rig (shown in top picture) that was operating with no silt fence. Thus, all the sludge coming out of the pipe borer was running right back into the cedar swamp.  (Pictures 2 & 3 ) 

DEQ Field Officer, Ann Stephens was called out to the site and when we returned, the boring rig was gone but several empty bags of bentonite were strewn about the site.  (Average Joe citizen would possibly be fined for litering)    She researched the operation and found that the company didn't even file for a permit to drill underneath a waterway.

Corrective measures included a "letter of violation".   No fines were imposed.

    How can we expect the industry to cooperate and operate their business concienciously if there are no penalities imposed to force them to cooperate? 

The DEQ continues to issue permits to install new wells when the those same companies that have been cited for violations haven't even cleaned up or corrected former violations issued. 
I feel that no permits should be issued to companies with outstanding violations that need to be corrected.
That isn't only fair,,, but its a wonderful incentive to make sure environmental damage is dealt with. 

click on the picture below 
to view the enlarged image

   Electrically operated derrick at the same
site.  These units do not pull anywhere near the volume of gas as the compressors, yet it still pulls enough gas for pretty juicy profits and would ensure a longer period of extraction.
   A longer time to extract would mean biggerroyalty checks at the end of the wells life due to the basic laws of supply and demand.
   In gist,,,  the benefit of the mineral owner would be guaranteed a longer period of royalty checks recieved, making the total dollar sum much higher to the mineral owner.
   In other words,, Conservation would mean higher dollar amounts to go to mineral owners.  It'd also make it easier for oversight, to ensure our environment is not poisoned because of hasty & reckless operations

pcitures taken 2/12/05

Marianne Lindstrom of Atlanta bought her home with 30 acres  10 years ago in 1995. 
   3 months after moving in she was looking at a 200'x200' well site being escavated on her property approx 350' from her home. 
   The scenery was tainted by this industrial operation but at least the well pump was a quiet electrically operated derick
   Because she does not own her mineral rights, she had no say at all.  Mineral rights supercede surface rights.

Marianne tolerated her property invasion for 9 years until the noisey compressor came along. (inside white building shown)    Her moments of tranquility were robbed from her.  No longer was it enjoyable to sit around the fire-pit in the evenings or take a walk around her property.  The constant noise is relentless.

The silent derick - shown on far right 
Compressor inside shed - shown center
Compressor outside of shed -shown far left

Of these three pieces of extracting equipment (shown above) , the only one operational is the compressor OUTSIDE of the so called "sound house" 
The industry cries that it is too costly to make compressors quiet, yet they waste endless dollars retiring the silent electrically operated pumps (they don't extract as fast as a compressor operated pump),  as well as letting other equipment that need  repairs sit, going on unrepaired or used.

The open compressor that is running ommits a high pitched wail that can be heard a mile away,,, sounding to those residents much like the wail of a distant civil service warning siren.  Just what we expect to hear on a hot summer night up here in the woodlands of the north.
 Imagine how Marianne feels with this but 350' from her home.  The State has exempted the Industry from local zoning ordinances,, that would ordinarily place noisey industrial equipment in Industrial Zoned area's.