IUP Students to test Beaver Run Reservoir for Drilling Problems
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
1 June 2011
By Rich Cholodofsky
Indiana University of Pennsylvania students will begin collecting
samples today from the Beaver Run Reservoir to determine whether
Marcellus shale deep-well drilling has affected the drinking water
supply.
The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County will pay IUP $55,000
this year to provide testing and analysis of the water to address
concerns from customers that chemicals from existing gas wells around
the 5,000-acre property could have infiltrated the water supply.
"This is entirely voluntary. It was always our intent to be open and
transparent about the activities around the reservoir," authority
Manager Chris Kerr said.
The authority, which conducts a water-testing program, has found no
indication of contamination at the reservoir, Kerr said.
Kerr said the IUP testing project will give an independent look at the
water supply.
Beaver Run, which sits in Washington and Bell townships, supplies water
to about 150,000 residents.
Consol Energy holds leases to drill 30 Marcellus shale wells on
authority property around the reservoir. The company has started its
deep-well operations, in addition to 100 shallow gas wells it owns on
the property.
Students from IUP's geography and geoscience departments will collect
up to 40 water samples from the 1,300-acre reservoir, along with
tributaries and streams on the property. The samples will be analyzed
by chemistry students, and results will be posted on a public website,
said Tracey Missien, interim director of IUP's Workforce Education and
Economic Development Department.
"We'll be testing for a number of organic and inorganic materials and
anything not normal. We'll be reporting those findings to the
authority, and it will be up to them to determine the quality of the
water," Missien said.
Samples will be collected four times a year. The deal with IUP could be
extended, according to Jack Ashton, assistant manager for the authority.
Ashton and Kerr said they do not expect any findings to indicate that
contaminants have infiltrated the water supply.
"If the tests find chemicals that can be found from the drilling
activity, we'll address the findings with the drilling companies and
the (state) Department of Environmental Protection," Ashton said.
Consol Energy officials could not be reached for comment.
Rich Cholodofsky can be reached at rcholodofsky@tribweb.com or
724-830-6293.