Water well owners needed for Penn State gas well study

Penn State's School of Forest Resources, along with several Penn State Cooperative Extension county offices, have received funding to conduct a research study on the potential impacts of Marcellus gas drilling on rural drinking water wells.

A limited number of private water wells near completed Marcellus gas well sites will be selected for free post-drilling water testing of several water quality parameters.

Interested water well owners would need to attend a local workshop to receive water testing materials and instructions.

The local workshop will be offered at the Fayette County Fairgrounds, 132 Pechin Road, Dunbar from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Feb. 28.

At the workshop, each water well owner will be asked to complete a short survey about their experiences with nearby gas well drilling. Water samples and completed surveys will need to be returned to the same location the following morning between 7 and 10 a.m. so they can be returned to the Penn State water testing laboratory.

The water samples collected in this study will not be legal chain-of-custody samples that are required to legally document impacts from gas drilling. Instead, the results will only be used for research purposes and for the education of the homeowner.

To be eligible for the study and the free water quality testing associated with it, participants must meet all of the following criteria:

• Own a private water well (no springs/cisterns can be included in the study).

• Have an existing Marcellus gas well (drilled and hydrofractured) within about 5,000 feet (one mile) of the water well. The gas well must be a Marcellus well and not a more traditional, shallow gas well.

• Provide copies of water test results from a state-accredited water lab showing, at a minimum, pre-drilling concentrations of total dissolved solids, chloride, and barium in the water well.

• Be willing to collect a sample from the water well on the morning after the workshop and return it.

Because of the funding constraints, all eligible applicants cannot be promised inclusion in this study. Selection will be based on eligibility, geographic location and other factors. Participants selected for the study will personally benefit by receiving a free test of their home drinking water supply and information about the results of those tests.

Interested residents with water wells that meet the research criteria must pre-register by Feb. 24 with Dana Rizzo ( def18@psu.edu or 724-837-1402) or visit www.surveymonkey.com/s/marcellus to determine eligibility.