Teachers and students learn to test water quality in Marcellus Shale region
Monday, August 4, 2014
Some high school students and their teachers in Pennsylvania are getting the chance to test the waters, literally.
According to WPSU, State College Area High School environmental science students will have the opportunity to visit the Black Moshannon Creek and test the water’s quality, just like their teachers are currently doing to learn how to monitor the stream. In conjunction with the Shale Network, the students and teachers will learn about the effects that shale oil and gas drilling has on water sources in the Marcellus shale region.
From WPSU:
“Through their testing, State High and the Shale Network hope to establish a baseline for Black Moshannon’s water quality. That way, they can identify changes to the stream’s chemistry that might be due to natural gas drilling.”
Via: WPSU > State College teachers join water quality testing effort
Leave a Comment
Marcellus & Utica Shale Well Map
Additional Shale Maps
Shale FAQ
What is fracking?
Fracking is a slang term for hydraulic fracturing. Fracturing is a process by which highly pressurized fluid is pumped thousands of feet into the ground to fracture rock formations. The goal is to release the natural gas that’s locked inside the rock.
Is it safe?
What most concerns people about fracturing is ground water contamination. The worry is that fractures underground, caused by the process, will extending upwards and into aquifers, releasing gas and chemicals into the ground water supply. There’s been no confirmed reports of such a thing happening. Though surface spills and drill site blowouts can lead to localized environmental concerns.
Will my water catch on fire?
Flammable water is caused by the release of methane gas into a drinking water supply. Methane gas occurs naturally and can be released by any kind of drilling, including water wells. In Pennsylvania officials fined Chesapeake Energy $1 million for contaminating ground water with methane. It was determined that the company had not properly cemented it’s boreholes and gas migrated up the well, between rock and into aquifers.