WINFIELD TWP — The township supervisors will hold a public hearing in coming weeks before deciding how to proceed with proposed zoning restrictions on natural gas and oil drilling.

Township secretary Adam Hartwig said the idea is to limit where drilling can occur, so it doesn't hurt residents.

“We're not making it so strict that it's unreasonable,” Hartwig said.

The new regulations would be enacted by amending the township zoning ordinance.

Hartwig said this is a preventive measure — there haven't been any problems with drilling in Winfield.

“We don't have any horror stories in the township,” he said.

However, Hartwig said a distinction needed to be made between conventional drilling versus unconventional drilling, which must take additional steps to reach oil and gas that doesn't flow naturally through rock.

“We had to create a delineation between the two,” he said.

Hydraulic fracturing, more commonly known as fracking, is what's done to stimulate that flow.

Fracking is the process in which water, sand and chemicals are pumped at high pressure into a shale formation to crack the rock, releasing the natural gas.

Under the proposal, oil and gas well site development is only permitted on lots no less than five acres for vertical unconventional drilling and no less than 10 acres for nonvertical, unconventional drilling.

Multiple adjacent properties may be combined to meet the minimum lot size.

Conventional drilling must follow standard state Department of Environmental Protection guidelines.

Although the DEP does not mandate minimum lot sizes for conventional drilling sites, the state does require setbacks from property lines.

Along with a few well pads for unconventional drilling, there are numerous sites where conventional drilling occurs.

Oil and gas well development would be a permitted use in districts zoned residential-agricultural.

Hartwig said roughly 95 percent of the township is zoned residential-agricultural. The remaining 5 percent is zoned commercial and manufacturing.

“We have no residential zoning,” said township Supervisor Matt Klabnik, board chairman.

Klabnik said the proposed amendment, which could be tweaked, would set feasible restrictions considering the limited types of zoning districts in Winfield.

Noise levels also would be regulated, being restricted to 60 decibels at the property line.

The amendment would require lights not be directed onto a public road or other property in the vicinity of the site.

Exterior lights must be shut off when personnel are not working at the site.

Any ancillary activities at the site would be limited to 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. or a half-hour before sunrise and a half-hour after sunset.

Hartwig said drilling is exempt from that time restriction because it's a perpetual process.

Drillers must coordinate with the South Butler School District to minimize heavy truck traffic during the times school buses drop off and pick up students.

Penalties for violating the amended ordinance would be a daily fine not exceeding $600, all court costs and attorney fees.

The township originally was going to delay making any changes to the zoning ordinance until disputes over similar regulations in Middlesex and Adams townships were resolved.

Residents in the other two townships are challenging their respective ordinances, appealing to each township's zoning hearing board.

But neither situation could be settled anytime soon.

“The idea of waiting to see how things shake out leaves us with nothing,” Klabnik said.