Workshop discusses database for Marcellus water issues

Abstract

ShaleNetwork 2012 Workshop; State College, Pennsylvania, 23–24 April 2012 The largest source of natural gas in the United States, the Marcellus shale, underlies a 95,000‐square‐mile area from Virginia to New York and from Ohio to Pennsylvania. Since 2005, about 5000 wells have been drilled in Pennsylvania alone, and about 2500 of these are now producing gas. While many welcome the shale gas jobs, others worry about environmental impacts. A workshop was convened at Pennsylvania State University to coordinate the collection of data for water quality and quantity in regions of hydrofracturing. The purpose of the event was to encourage participants to use and contribute data to a growing database of water quality and quantity for regions of shale gas development (www.shalenetwork.org).