Here is an entirely imaginary worse-case scenario that could become reality if fracturing of Marcellus Shale is permitted!

There has been a catastrophic fire at a chemical distribution center near Horseheads, New York, sending tons of toxic chemicals into the nearby Catharine Creek Marsh Complex. It is part of the St. Lawrence River basin. It flows into Seneca Lake, the largest of the Finger Lakes, which drains into Lake Ontario via the Seneca and Oswego rivers.

The abundance of plant life in the marsh has provided ideal habitat for a diversity of wildlife from small insects to turtles, muskrats, ducks, beaver, deer, and great blue herons. Members of the Schuyler County Bird Club have recorded 64 species of birds, and the number of fish species in Catharine Creek is listed at 29. Any local fisherman will quickly vouch for the richness of the waters in and adjacent to the marsh. Catharine Creek is famous for its run of rainbow trout in the spring and hosts thousands of anglers annually. All of this rich wildlife is now at immediate risk.

The fire broke out early this morning in a storage building used for highly poisonous chemicals used in fracturing natural gas wells. Sirens sounded by local authorities to alert them to the disaster wakened local residents. People in the surrounding region of Horseheads and the City of Elmira on the border between New York and Pennsylvania were told to stay indoors.

Witnesses reported a foul smell of rotten eggs and burning rubber. Fourteen people, including one of the firemen fighting the blaze, were treated in hospital after inhaling the fumes. It is thought the chemicals were washed into Catharine Creek in the water used by firefighters to douse the fire. About 30 tons of toxic chemicals were discharged. The water in Catharine Creek has turned red. Residents in Watkins Glen have been advised to drink bottled water. 

The New York Department of Environmental Conservation (NYDEC) says it could take weeks to determine the cause of the disaster and its impact on human life and the natural environment. It says that it had no regulatory authority over the distribution center operated by one of America's largest chemical firms.

Federal, State, and Local Environmental Agencies are now struggling to prevent the pollution sweeping down into Seneca Lake and into Lake Ontario and beyond. The Government of Canada has offered help.