Cumulative air pollution, building up from the multiple gas well pads in the area, could have long-term health complications.

Mobley Gas Plant in Wetzel County

Drilling for natural gas has created an economic boon in some parts of the state, but what kind of health impact is it having on residents of the Mountain state? The Barr family moved to Mobley, West Virginia in 1970, and they have lived their ever since. But they would have never guessed three years ago they’d wind up with a natural gas rig that does 24-hour drilling so close to the property that you can hear and smell everything that happens.
“The noise, as you can hear now, goes on 24 hours a day,” Larry Barr said. The site is located just 170 feet from their property, farmland that the Barr’s have been living on for over 40 years. They raised a family there, They lived off the land. And now they have to fear for the safety of their water.

 “We may have water one of these days and we may not. It may be good water or it may not,” said Elva Barr. But according to some experts, water is actually the least of their worries. Cumulative air pollution, building up from the multiple gaswell pads in the area, could have long-term health complications.

 “There’s another well three-tenths of a mile to the north, plus the plant that we’re standing by. Air pollution is going to be a long-term, regional problem for Larry and all of his relatives and all the people in this valley,” Larry Hughes of the Wetzel County Action Group said. The Sierra Club encourages anyone who doesn’t understand the impact of natural gas drilling to learn the facts for themselves, but they don’t mean opening up a book or using the internet.

“We can sit at home and read the newspaper or talk to other people who tell you horror stories or tell you how much money they make from it. But it’s not the same. If you haven’t actually seen it, you really don’t know what’s going on,” Jim Sconyers, Chairman of the WV Sierra Club had said.

  EQT, the company doing the drilling, was unavailable for comment. As for the Barr’s, they’ll continue to live with the constant noise pollution, odors, and health concerns.