Webinar next Wednesday on Household Water Treatment Systems
The Water Resources Extension Webinar series will continue next week with a presentation on Household Water Treatment Systems on February 23 from noon to 1 PM by Dr. Tom McCarty. Tom is an Extension Educator with Penn State Cooperative Extension in Cumberland County.
Webinar Summary
If you have seen one of those fiberglass “missile” tanks in a basement and wondered “what is that for?” or have been curious about the extra sink spout that supplies “RO” water, please come and join the discussion at noon on February 23rd. The webinar will discuss the need for household water treatment and various approaches to treatment. We’ll discuss disinfection, softening, iron removal, rotten-egg odor (hydrogen sulfide) treatment, corrosion control, chlorine removal, and other devices to provide small amounts of high purity water for drinking and cooking. You won’t be an expert by the end of lunch but the tips we’ll provide will allow you to ask some pretty good questions of the next water treatment salesman. And for sure you will have some insight into whether or not there should be some treatment equipment on your drinking water supply.
How to Partcipate
The live webinar will occur from noon to 1 PM and is accessible at: https://breeze.psu.edu/water1
To participate in the live webinar you will need to have registered and received a “Friend of Penn State” ID and password. To learn more about registration and additional details about the webinar series, go to:
http://extension.psu.edu/water/webinar-series/schedule/registration
Taped versions of each webinar in the series are available to anyone. A link to the presentation video along with a PDF copy of the presentation slides, links to relevant publications, and a copy of the question/answer session are posted at:
http://extension.psu.edu/water/webinar-series/past-webinars
Addional Upcoming Webinars
March 30, 2011 – Management of Nuisance Aquatic Plants and Algae in Ponds and Lakes
April 27, 2011 – Using Rain Barrels and Rain Gardens to Manage Household Stormwater
Analysis of Marcellus Shale gas tax issues offered in Feb. 16 webinar
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — An online seminar offered by Penn State Cooperative Extension at 1 p.m. on Feb. 16 will cover what Pennsylvania residents who benefit financially from natural-gas wells on their properties need to know about tax implications.
In his presentation, “Dealing with Gas Tax Issues: What You Need to Know,” Associate Professor of Forest Resources Mike Jacobson will address primarily landowners who want to understand the basic issues. However, he also will provide financial advisers, accountants and tax preparers with some useful information.
“Landowners who lease gas rights will receive an up-front bonus payment and then receive royalty payments when production begins,” Jacobson said. “Dealing with this new-found wealth requires careful financial and tax planning.
“The tax law surrounding gas leases and royalties is complex with its own specific rules,” he said. “By understanding these rules, landowners possibly can save money by avoiding unnecessary taxes.”
The webinar will address mainly the tax consequences of gas income, Jacobson noted. It will cover issues such as types of income, how to report income, depletion and expensing opportunities, wealth and family planning, and property and severance taxes.
The tax-issues webinar is part of an ongoing series of workshops and events addressing circumstances related to the state’s Marcellus Shale gas boom. Information about how to register for the webinar is available on the webinar page of Penn State Extension’s natural gas impacts website at http://extension.psu.edu/naturalgas/webinars.
Another one-hour webinar, “Natural Gas Well Development and Emergency Response and Management,” will be held at 1 p.m. on March 17.
Previous webinars, publications and information on topics such as water use and quality, zoning, gas-leasing considerations for landowners and implications for local communities also are available on the Extension natural-gas impacts website (http://extension.psu.edu/naturalgas).
For more information, contact John Turack, extension educator in Westmoreland County, at 724-837-1402 or jdt15@psu.edu.
http://live.psu.edu/story/51221#nw69
Friday, February 4, 2011
Analysis of Marcellus Shale natural-gas legislation offered in webinar
http://live.psu.edu/story/50593#nw69
Friday, January 7, 2011
Analysis of Marcellus Shale natural-gas legislation offered in webinar
University Park, Pa. — An online seminar offered by Penn State Cooperative Extension at 1 p.m. on Jan. 20 will provide expert analysis of state legislation enacted and considered related to the exploration and production of natural gas in the Marcellus Shale formation.
Although the General Assembly was active during the 2009-10 legislative session in discussing and considering legislation, many issues remain unresolved regarding development of the Marcellus Shale, according to Ross Pifer, clinical professor and director of the Agricultural Law Resource and Reference Center at Penn State. The center is a collaboration between the University’s Dickinson School of Law and College of Agricultural Sciences.
In the webinar, titled “Marcellus Shale Legislation: What Was Accomplished in the 2009-10 Session and What Issues Remain to be Addressed,” Pifer will review the legislative session that ended Dec. 31 and preview the current session.
“I will discuss the details of natural-gas legislation enacted during the most recent legislative session as well as the various topics that were the subject of legislation introduced in, but not enacted by, the General Assembly,” he said. “I will then look forward to the legislative session that has just begun and discuss issues that are likely to be the subject of further legislative debate.”
In the 2009-10 session, legislation was enacted to provide for greater public accessibility to production data from Marcellus Shale wells. Legislation also was enacted to address the impact of natural-gas development on land that is enrolled in the Clean and Green preferential tax-assessment program.
“Through this legislation, counties across the state will be addressing this issue in a uniform fashion,” Pifer said. “Prior to the enactment of this legislation, counties across the commonwealth were treating this issue in a disparate manner.”
The topic that received the most attention throughout the conclusion of the last legislative session was whether or not Pennsylvania would implement a severance tax on natural gas. Ultimately, the General Assembly did not enact legislation providing for this tax, but the subject may be revisited.
“One issue that likely will be discussed in the new session is compulsory pooling,” Pifer said. “This has been a controversial topic as many landowners are concerned about the impact that such a law would have on their property rights. On the other hand, the state has a legitimate policy interest in ensuring that development occurs as efficiently as possible.”
The webinar is part of an ongoing series of workshops and events addressing issues related to the state’s Marcellus Shale gas boom. Information about how to register for the webinar is available on the webinar page of Penn State Cooperative Extension’s natural-gas impacts website.
Additional one-hour webinars will be held at 1 p.m. on the following dates:
— Feb. 16: “Dealing with Gas Tax Issues: What You Need to Know.”
— March 17: “Natural Gas Well Development and Emergency Response and Management.”
Previous webinars, publications and other information on topics such as water use and quality, zoning, gas-leasing considerations for landowners and implications for local communities also are available on the Cooperative Extension natural-gas impacts website.
For more information, contact John Turack, extension educator in Westmoreland County, at 724-837-1402 or jdt15@psu.edu.
A primer on Marcellus Shale geology and technology offered in webinar
http://live.psu.edu/story/50263#nw69
Monday, December 6, 2010
A primer on Marcellus Shale geology and technology offered in webinar
University Park, Pa. — By now, many are aware of the huge volume of natural gas held in the deeply buried Marcellus Shale formation and its enormous economic potential for Pennsylvania and neighboring states.
For those who want to learn more about the Marcellus “play,” Penn State Cooperative Extension is offering a free, Web-based seminar at 1 p.m. on Dec. 16, titled, “Plumbing the Depths in Pa.: A Primer on Marcellus Shale Geology and Technology.”
During the one-hour webinar, Michael Arthur, professor of geosciences, will focus on the geology of the Marcellus Shale and technology for extraction as they influence exploration and development of the natural-gas resource. Co-director of the Penn State Marcellus Center for Outreach and Research, Arthur will answer questions from online participants during the session.
“The middle Devonian Marcellus Formation in the Appalachian Basin of Pennsylvania and New York is estimated to contain in excess of 486 trillion cubic feet of extractable natural gas,” he said. “That is sufficient for more than 20 years supply at the United States’ current rate of consumption.”
Arthur pointed out that there also is the possibility of additional significant shale gas deposits that may be targeted within the same basin — Devonian black shale units above the Marcellus Shale and the Ordovician Utica Shale below.
“In my presentation, I will discuss the geologic characteristics of the Marcellus Shale formation, the estimated volume of gas deposits at various points, and the process and effect of hydraulic fracturing,” Arthur said. “I also will address the continuing concern that drilling operations could allow gas migration into shallow, fresh-water aquifers, which is now being studied intensively.”
The webinar, “Plumbing the Depths in Pa.: A Primer on Marcellus Shale Geology and Technology,” is part of an ongoing series of workshops and events addressing issues related to the state’s Marcellus Shale gas boom. Information about how to register for the webinar is available on the webinar page of Penn State Cooperative Extension’s “Natural Gas” website. .
Additional one-hour webinars will be held at 1 p.m. on the following dates:
— Jan. 20, 2011: “Marcellus Shale Legislation: What Was Accomplished in the 2009-10 Session and What Issues Remain to be Addressed.”
— Feb. 16, 2011: “Dealing with Gas Tax Issues: What You Need to Know.”
— March 17, 2011: “Natural Gas Well Development and Emergency Response and Management.”
Previous webinars, publications and other information on topics such as water use and quality, zoning, gas-leasing considerations for landowners and implications for local communities also are available on the “Natural Gas” website at http://extension.psu.edu/naturalgas.
For more information, contact John Turack, extension educator in Westmoreland County, at 724-837-1402 or by e-mail at jdt15@psu.edu.
New state regulations to deal with gas drilling in Marcellus Shale
New state regulations to deal with gas drilling in Marcellus Shale
Friday, November 5, 2010
University Park, Pa. — As the natural-gas drilling boom into the deep Marcellus Shale formation has unfolded, state regulators have become increasingly aware of pollution risks to ground and surface water, and they have scrambled to develop regulations to protect valuable natural resources.
Two experts with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection will offer details about the current regulatory environment in a free, one-hour, Web-based seminar at 1 p.m. on Nov. 18.
Presented by Penn State Cooperative Extension, the webinar will feature Dana Aunkst, director of DEP’s bureau of water standards and facilities regulation, and Eugene Pine, professional geologist manager with the agency. Online participants will have the opportunity to ask the speakers questions during the session.
“In 2010, the Pennsylvania Environmental Quality Board amended the Pennsylvania Code to include new treatment requirements for total dissolved solids,” Aunkst said. “This final form rulemaking ensures the continued protection of the commonwealth’s water resources from new and expanded sources of total dissolved solids.”
Most importantly, Aunkst noted, the final rulemaking guarantees that state waters will not exceed a threshold of 500 milligrams per liter. “In doing so, the final rulemaking assures the continued use and protection of drinking water intakes on streams throughout the commonwealth,” he said. “That provides the required protection of aquatic life and maintains continued economic viability of the current water users.”
The final rulemaking adopts a combination of recommended approaches for addressing these larger loads of total dissolved solids, Aunkst pointed out. This combination of approaches includes an industrial-sector-based regulation along with a watershed-based analysis.
“The sector-based piece focuses on the natural-gas industry, mandating the treatment of gas-well wastewater,” he said. “This approach is based on available, proven treatment technologies for this industry and takes cost into consideration. In addition, this treatment must be performed at a centralized wastewater treatment facility to the standards in the proposed rulemaking.
“These requirements will assure that any threat of water pollution from this rapidly growing industry is prevented in accordance with the Pennsylvania Clean Streams Law.”
Aunkst’s presentation will provide background on the need for the new regulation, a history of the development of the regulation and an update on the implementation of the new requirements.
In addition, Pine’s presentation will explain how his department is making changes to the regulations and will detail the proposed and final rulemaking process, including timeframes, public-comment periods and so forth.
“I will generally explain where we are in this process and then highlight the more significant revisions to the existing regulations,” he said. “The regulatory revisions emphasize, and are intended to strengthen, proper well-drilling, construction and operational practices.”
A properly cased and cemented oil or gas well is critical to protecting groundwater, public health, safety and the environment, explained Pine. Many of the regulations governing well construction were promulgated in 1989 and remain largely unchanged.
“New well-drilling and completion practices used to develop Marcellus Shale wells, as well as recent impacts to drinking water supplies and the environment by both ‘traditional’ and Marcellus Shale wells, prompted the department to re-evaluate existing requirements,” he said.
With the continued development of the oil and gas industry, the potential exists for natural gas to migrate from the wellbore by either improperly constructed wells or older, deteriorated wells, Pine noted.
“This migration could adversely affect underground sources of drinking water and pose a threat to public safety and the environment,” he said. “Accordingly, DEP has revised its well-drilling and operation regulations.”
The webinar, “Pa. DEP Regulatory Update,” is part of an ongoing series of workshops and events addressing issues related to the state’s Marcellus Shale gas boom. Information about how to register for the webinar is available at http://extension.psu.edu/naturalgas/webinars.
Additional one-hour webinars will be held at 1 p.m. on the following dates:
— Dec. 16: “Plumbing the Depths in Pa.: A Primer on Marcellus Shale Geology and Technology.”
— Jan. 20, 2011: “Marcellus Shale Legislation: What Was Accomplished in the 2009-10 Session and What Issues Remain to be Addressed.”
— Feb. 16, 2011: “Dealing with Gas Tax Issues: What You Need to Know.”
— March 17, 2011: “Natural Gas Well Development and Emergency Response and Management.”
Previous webinars, publications and other information on topics such as water use and quality, zoning, gas-leasing considerations for landowners and implications for local communities also are available online at http://extension.psu.edu/naturalgas.
For more information, contact John Turack, extension educator in Westmoreland County, at 724-837-1402 or by e-mail at jdt15@psu.edu.
Webinars: Water management for Marcellus Shale gas production a growing issue
http://live.psu.edu/story/49365#nw69
Friday, October 22, 2010
Webinars: Water management for Marcellus Shale gas production a growing issue
University Park, Pa. — Billions of dollars already have been invested by natural-gas companies in Pennsylvania for Marcellus Shale gas exploration. Similarly, millions of gallons of water have been utilized to develop billions of cubic feet of natural gas.
The natural-gas industry is pursuing ways to minimize potential environmental impacts during development of the rich Marcellus formation, such as by treating and reusing wastewater produced during the process. However, according to one Penn State expert, as the Marcellus natural-gas play grows, the demand for water for hydraulic fracturing will directly increase, as will the need for infrastructure to treat flowback water for reuse or disposal.
“To minimize the environmental and financial costs of flowback treatment, many operators are now reusing flowback and other impaired waters such as acid mine drainage,” said David Yoxtheimer, hydrogeologist and extension associate with Penn State’s Marcellus Center for Outreach and Research. < http://www.marcellus.psu.edu/ >
Yoxtheimer was one of the featured speakers during an Oct. 21 Web-based seminar titled, “Water Use and Water Reuse/Recycling in Marcellus Shale Gas Exploration and Production.” Sponsored by Penn State Cooperative Extension < http://extension.psu.edu/ >, the webinar provided an overview of new strategies to conserve fresh water and reuse waters affected by the gas exploration process.
When shale gas drillers develop natural gas using the hydraulic-fracturing technique, they inject 3 million to 5 million gallons of water, along with sand and a relatively low concentration of additives into the Marcellus formation to release the natural gas. According to the Susquehanna River Basin Commission, about 10 percent (300,000 to 500,000 gallons) of the injected hydraulic-fracturing fluids return to the surface via the natural-gas well within about one month.
This wastewater, known as “flowback,” contains relatively high concentrations of salt as well as some metals that were dissolved out of the shale during the fracturing process. The flowback water requires treatment prior to release back into the environment, but many companies are now reusing the flowback for subsequent hydraulic-fracturing operations, which has environmental benefits and reduces truck traffic on roads.
“Simply reusing the water is only the first step, but the lack of processing back to the water-quality standards is a big challenge to conventional thinking,” said Tony Gaudlip of Range Resources. Gaudlip, a co-presenter in the webinar, joined Range Resources in January 2008 following various industry positions in south Texas, Wyoming, the Middle East, Europe and Asia.
“We do not need crystal clear water to use as a base fluid for fracturing,” he said. “We do not need to treat the water at all in order to get good production — no distillation, crystallization, reverse osmosis, nanofiltration, etc. That’s all unnecessary to meet new downhole requirements,” Gaudlip said.
“What Range is doing is different,” Yoxtheimer said. “The company is fairly progressive and basically is recycling 100 percent of its water, and other companies are now following that trend.”
Yoxtheimer added that reusing flowback — and using impaired waters such as acid mine drainage and effluent from municipal or industrial wastewater plants — greatly offsets the need to use fresh water drawn from local streams and rivers.
Yoxtheimer said that Marcellus development is “proceeding pretty much full steam ahead” in Pennsylvania despite some opposition. “There are a lot of economic opportunities there that are potentially good, but also some potential environmental consequences. Ideally, a fine balance can be struck by doing the exploration and extraction in an environmentally responsible way.”
The “Water Use and Water Reuse/Recycling in Marcellus Shale Gas Exploration and Production” program was part of an ongoing series of workshops addressing issues related to the state’s Marcellus Shale gas boom. One-hour webinars also will be held at 1 p.m. on the following dates:
–Nov. 18: “Pa. DEP Regulatory Update.” Presenters: Dana Aunkst and Scott Perry, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
–Dec. 16: “Plumbing the Depths in Pa.: A Primer on Marcellus Shale Geology and Technology.” Presenter: Mike Arthur, Penn State Marcellus Center for Outreach and Research.
–Jan. 20, 2011: “Marcellus Shale Legislation: What Was Accomplished in the 2009-10 Session and What Issues Remain to be Addressed.” Presenter: Ross Pifer, Dickinson School of Law, Penn State.
–Feb. 16, 2011: “Dealing with Gas Tax Issues: What You Need to Know.” Presenter: Mike Jacobson, Penn State School of Forest Resources.
–Mar. 17, 2011: “Natural Gas Well Development and Emergency Response and Management.” Presenter: Craig Konkle, Lycoming County Office of Emergency Management.
Previous webinars — which covered topics such as water use and quality, gas-leasing considerations for landowners and implications for local communities — can be viewed at Penn State Cooperative Extension’s natural-gas website. <http://extension.psu.edu/naturalgas/webinars >
For more information, contact John Turack, extension educator in Westmoreland County, at 724-837-1402 or by e-mail at jdt15@psu.edu.
Survey measures residents’ attitudes about Marcellus exploration
http://live.psu.edu/story/48364/nw69
Survey measures residents’ attitudes about Marcellus exploration
Friday, September 10, 2010
While energy companies continue to search beneath Pennsylvania for natural gas, social scientists are looking for ways to tap into the attitudes of residents about the gas-exploration boom in the region.
Residents in 21 Pennsylvania counties and eight New York counties — a region some refer to as “the Marcellus Fairway” — recently completed a survey looking at their level of satisfaction with their home communities, their knowledge about Marcellus Shale drilling and their trust in the process. The results suggest that, overall, the public-opinion jury is still out, according to Kathy Brasier, assistant professor of rural sociology in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences.
Brasier will be the featured speaker during a free, Web-based seminar titled, “Natural Gas Experiences of Marcellus Residents: Preliminary Results from the Community Satisfaction Survey,” which will air at 1 p.m. on Sept. 16. Sponsored by Penn State Cooperative Extension, the “webinar” will provide an overview of the recent survey of residents in counties where shale-gas exploration has begun.
Information about how to register for the webinar is available at http://extension.psu.edu/naturalgas/webinars. Online participants will have the opportunity to ask the speaker questions during the session.
“The main research objective was to establish baseline data so that, as we repeat the survey over the development of the Marcellus, we can track changes in people’s experiences and thoughts about the shale,” said Brasier. She noted that the main educational objective was to get a better sense of what people living in the region think about Marcellus, to create educational programming that takes into account local views — whether those are commonly held ideas or points of conflict.
Brasier said, based on the responses of nearly 2,000 participants, the survey revealed that significant proportions of people had yet to form opinions or report knowledge about Marcellus development. However, she said that those who have formed opinions were pretty strong in their feelings, responding in the extreme ends of the attitude items.
When asked about overall support for natural-gas extraction in the Marcellus, about 45 percent support it; 33 percent neither support nor oppose it, and 21 percent oppose Marcellus exploration. She said that there was more opposition among New York respondents, with nearly 31 percent opposing Marcellus gas extraction. In contrast, 19 percent of Pennsylvania respondents oppose drilling in the Marcellus.
Brasier conjectured that one possible reason for greater opposition in New York — where Marcellus drilling has not been approved — was the idea that stopping shale-gas extraction is still on the table. “There is still talk that they may be extending the moratorium, and that might be a little bit greater motivation for those who oppose it,” she said. “That’s not going to happen in Pennsylvania. Here, it’s coming, and if people are in the ‘opposed’ camp, it’s more about how to shape it to have the least damage.”
Accordingly, the main issues people felt they knew something about were environmental and water impacts. Environmental issues were also the ones people thought would “get worse,” according to the survey. The only area that people thought would get better was the availability of good jobs, Brasier said.
She said that a relatively small number of respondents (10 percent) had signed a lease for gas rights. Of these, about half are satisfied with the terms of the lease. About half had received lease or royalty payments. A majority of those who had received payments said they were satisfied.
In addition to questions about the respondents’ satisfaction with and attachment to their community, and knowledge of Marcellus Shale activities and impacts, participants also were asked their attitudes about development of the Marcellus and their trust in organizations that are active in Marcellus Shale issues. Brasier said that trust in the natural-gas industry, state agencies and state governments has a great deal to do with attitudes toward Marcellus exploration.
Attitudes might also vary depending on whether respondents had bad previous experiences with other extractive sectors, such as coal or shallow gas, or had experienced other social or environmental problems as a result of that activity.
Brasier said that future work will compare responses on the community satisfaction variables across time. She said she also wants to get a better sense of residents’ feelings about the workers, including those who might have moved recently to the area because of gas drilling. Future surveys also are likely to explore what people do for recreation and how these activities might be affected by drilling.
The “Natural Gas Experiences of Marcellus Residents” webinar is part of an ongoing series of workshops addressing issues related to the state’s Marcellus Shale gas boom. Previous webinars, which covered topics such as water use and quality, zoning, gas-leasing considerations for landowners and implications for local communities, can be viewed at http://extension.psu.edu/naturalgas/webinars online.
For more information, contact John Turack, extension educator in Westmoreland County, at 724-937-1402 or by e-mail at jdt15@psu.edu.
Contact John Dickison jmd16@psu.edu
Wading through water-test results subject of webinar
http://live.psu.edu/story/48230/nw69
Friday, September 3, 2010
Wading through water-test results subject of webinar
Well owners may wish to have drinking water tested before and after nearby gas wells are drilled.
When it comes to water-test results, one of the murkiest problems facing homeowners is how to interpret the results, according to an expert in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences. And with the flood of Marcellus shale gas-drilling activity in Pennsylvania, there has been a steadily rising tide of information about water availability, water quality, water-testing procedures and what those tests indicate.
“We’re finding that in a lot of these counties, there is a lot of water testing being done by gas companies or by households — before and after drilling — and these water test reports can be very hard to understand,” said Bryan Swistock, a water resources extension specialist in the college’s School of Forest Resources. “For some, it’s like trying to decipher foreign language.”
To help owners of private water supplies navigate the water-testing maze, Swistock will conduct a free Web-based seminar titled, “How to Interpret Pre- and Post-Gas Drilling Water Test Reports.” Part of a series of online water-related workshops produced by Penn State Cooperative Extension, the webinar will air at noon and again at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 15.
Participants must pre-register for the webinars, but only one registration is required for the entire series. To register, visit http://extension.psu.edu/water/webinar-series. Once participants have pre-registered, they may visit the webinar site (https://breeze.psu.edu/water1) on the day of the presentation to view the live presentation.
Water-quality experts, gas-company officials and attorneys all agree that if gas-drilling activity is scheduled to take place nearby, homeowners should get pre-drill water testing done, Swistock said. Because gas companies have a presumed responsibility for water quality within 1,000 feet of a gas well, they frequently provide free water testing to homeowners within that radius. Some gas companies may pay to test private water systems even beyond 1,000 feet from a gas well, he added.
Homeowners who live outside that range — or ones who don’t trust free testing — may opt to pay for their own testing. For these consumers, Swistock advises hiring a state-accredited lab to come out to the home. The water sample then becomes a “legally valid” sample, the chain of custody of which is assured, should a case go to court, he said.
Swistock explained that water testing for all possible pollutants associated with gas-well drilling can by very expensive. Homeowners should discuss the costs of the testing with the laboratory or consultant to select a testing package that addresses their concerns while still being affordable.
Some homeowners are distressed to discover pre-existing problems that have nothing to do with gas exploration. It is common to uncover problems such as bacteria, traces of nitrate, or lead, which sometimes can come from the home’s own plumbing system. “Some problems don’t have symptoms, so if the well was never tested previously, and people didn’t experience any symptoms, they’ll think the test result was doctored,” Swistock said.
He noted that more than 1 million Pennsylvania homes and farms have drilled water wells, and about 45 percent of them have never been tested. He said bacteria occurs in about one-third of water wells in the state and is likely to go undetected unless someone had reason to investigate.
Changes in other water conditions may prompt more immediate investigation. Nearby construction or drilling may create changes in water’s appearance, taste or availability. The sudden onset of spurting faucets, foaming or cloudy water, metallic or salty tastes, previously undetected odors, or reduced flow volume may each indicate manmade problems caused by localized disturbances.
In addition to water sources, information also should be carefully evaluated. With the recent deluge of sources disseminating information related to protecting water supplies near gas drilling, Swistock suggests that homeowners with private water systems in the Marcellus region be vigilant and carefully weigh comments and recommendations they receive. He recommends seeking out credible sources of information, trustworthy third-party testing services and state-accredited water labs to conduct the testing.
“It’s our mission to provide unbiased information grounded in research to help people manage and protect the water resources of Pennsylvania,” Swistock said. “None of my current or past research funding has come from the Marcellus gas industry. My only goal is to provide facts that will help homeowners and others make the best decision possible.”
The webinar also will provide viewers with links to useful websites, including a description of various water tests, a list of state-accredited labs and an online Drinking Water Interpretation Tool to help homeowners interpret complex water test reports.
This presentation is part of an overall series targeting the most common water questions and concerns people have about water resources on their own property, whether those are water wells, septic systems or ponds. Other topics in the series include managing septic systems, ponds and lakes, drilling wells and safe drinking water. Recordings of previous webinars can be found at http://extension.psu.edu/water/webinar-series.
EPA Launches Web Forum on How to Best Protect America’s Drinking Water
http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/rulesregs/sdwa/dwstrategy/index.cfm
EPA Launches Web Forum on How to Best Protect America’s Drinking Water
Washington (Aug. 17) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is launching a web-based discussion forum to gather public input on how the agency can improve protection of drinking water.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is launching a web-based discussion forum to gather public input on how the agency can improve protection of drinking water. The information will be used in implementing EPA’s new drinking water strategy announced by Administrator Lisa P. Jackson in March.
“We look forward to reviewing the ideas and feedback from the public,” said Peter S. Silva, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Water. “This online discussion is for anyone who wants to share their input on protecting drinking water and improving public health.”
EPA seeks input from water professionals, advocates, and anyone interested in drinking water quality issues about best solutions for issues facing our nation’s drinking water—planning, developing scientific tools, controlling water pollution and use of resources.
The discussion forum will feature a series of topics based on the four segments of the drinking water strategy: addressing contaminants as groups rather than one at a time, fostering development of new technologies, using the existing authority of several statues to protect drinking water, and partnering with states to share more complete data.
The forum will be open for discussion for about a month, with each topic area being discussed separately. Addressing contaminants as groups will also be discussed separately at a web-based meeting at the end of July.
To join the discussion: http://blog.epa.gov/dwstrat
More information on the new Drinking Water Strategy: http://www.epa.gov/safewater/sdwa/dwstrategy.html
Webinars address issues with Marcellus gas in two upcoming offerings
http://live.psu.edu/story/47887/nw69
Monday, August 16, 2010
Three county commissioners — Mark Smith of Bradford County, Pamela Tokar-Ickes of Somerset County and Paul Heimel of Potter County — will be the featured speakers during a free, Web-based seminar titled, “Local Natural Gas Task Force Initiatives,” which will air at 1 p.m. on Aug. 19. Sponsored by Penn State Cooperative Extension, the webinar will provide an overview of how county task forces are responding to the ramp-up of shale-gas exploration in their respective counties.
Information about how to register for the webinar is available at http://extension.psu.edu/naturalgas/webinars. Online participants will have the opportunity to ask the speakers questions during the session.
The “Local Natural Gas Task Force Initiatives” webinar is part of an ongoing series of workshops addressing issues related to the state’s Marcellus shale gas boom. Another one-hour webinar will be held at 1 p.m. on Sept. 16, titled “Natural Gas Experiences of Marcellus Residents: Preliminary Results from the Community Satisfaction Survey”; Presenter: Kathy Brasier, Penn State.
Previous webinars, which covered topics such as water use and quality, zoning, and gas-leasing considerations for landowners and implications for local communities, can be viewed at http://extension.psu.edu/naturalgas/webinars.
For more information, contact Joann Kowalski, extension educator in Susquehanna County, at 570-278-1158 or by e-mail at jmk20@psu.edu.