Preble resident Frank Holden has been waiting five years to get help from the DEC regarding methane in his water supply. 

Holden finally heard back from the state after all this time, as the DEC scheduled its visit to his Preble estate for Tuesday morning. 

Expecting the DEC to come to his house at 11 a.m., Holden got a phone call from the DEC worker soon after saying the investigation wouldn't take place until the media left. As our Fox 40 crew and other outlets saw the DEC car circling in the driveway, Holden was told the media presence went against DEC regulation. 

"I've been living with this all my life for 26 years. I've been here and basically, I just want it fixed, that's all," Holden said. 

The DEC told Holden that they were going to collect information regarding his residence, test the water, and asked for the depth and size of the well. 

Hang and Holden are also asking the DEC to investigate nearby unplugged gas extraction wells. 

"This is an area where there has been both exploration for gas extraction and actual gas extraction," Hang said. "We don't know whether or not there might be historic wells that are unplugged that might be leaking."

Despite New York banning high-volume hydraulic fracturing with water, that doesn't stop carbon dioxide high-volume hydraulic fracturing from being proposed. As Holden's house is located right above Marcellus Shale, hang says a possible seismic survey in the area could've caused Holden's problem. 

"They literally set off, reportedly explosive charges to try to investigate whether or not natural gas could be recovered from Marcellus Shale," Hang said. 

After the media outlets left, the DEC conducted the investigation, confirming natural gas in Holden's water.

However, the DEC investigator didn't know the source of the gas but told Holden he thinks probably Marcellus Shale. Holden remains not entirely pleased, feeling his questions weren't answered entirely. 

Hang is calling on Governor Kathy Hochul to prohibit all forms of high-volume hydraulic fracturing, including carbon dioxide, due to the safety risks it imposes.