Will Maryland’s fracking regulations protect trout?

Patient angler fishing a Savage River trib.

At first glance, Maryland’s new oil and gas regulations, released today, take steps toward protection of the state’s trout resources.

Hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking”, has been on hold in Maryland since 2011, while a Governor-appointed commission reviewed the environmental impacts associated with shale gas drilling and developed recommendations for mitigating those impacts. The commission’s report was released in December 2014 and serves as the basis of the state’s regulations.

Among other restrictions, the new regulations:

Prohibit surface disturbance for shale gas drilling-related activities in the Savage River watershed—one of the places that TU recently highlighted as at risk from shale gas development in its 10 Special Places report. The Savage River watershed, located in western Maryland’s Garrett County, is home to the state’s premier brook trout fishery. Within the watershed there are over 120 miles of interconnected streams, and the highest density of brook trout in the state. Protecting this resource is critical to ensuring fishing opportunities for generations to come.

Prohibit shale gas infrastructure within 450 feet from the edge of aquatic habitat. Maintaining a reasonable setback between the edge of a well pad and a trout stream is necessary to minimize the likelihood that spills and leaks that may occur on the well pad will reach the stream and harm aquatic life.

Prevent well pads and related drilling infrastructure on land with a slope of greater than 15 percent. In areas of Pennsylvania and West Virginia, where intensive shale gas drilling has been happening for the past five years, erosion and sedimentation from drilling-related infrastructure located on steep slopes has been one of the most significant impacts affecting pristine trout streams. 

TU was well represented on the commission by Nick Weber, past chair of the Mid-Atlantic Council of TU. It’s clear that Nick fought hard to make sure the Savage River watershed and other trout streams throughout the state are protected from potential impacts resulting from shale gas drilling-related activities. Now, it will be up to all of Maryland’s anglers and other sportsmen and women to weigh in on the regulations, and make sure that these important protections make the cut when Maryland finalizes the rules.

Katy Dunlap is Trout Unlimited’s Eastern Water Project Director, based in the Finger Lakes region of New York.