The Giant Sucking Sound...

SRBC approves gas drilling water draws

BY STACI WILSON, SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY INDEPENDENT
July 22, 2009

Large draws from area waterways by natural gas drillers were greenlighted by the Susquehanna River Basin Commission at the June 18 quarterly meeting held in Binghamton, N.Y.
The SRBC approved Alta Operating Co. LLC to take 393,000 gallons per day from Turner Lake, in Liberty Twp.

Chesapeake Appalachia LLC received approval to take up to 499,000 gallons per day from the Wyalusing Creek, in Rush Twp. for the Venderfeltz well pad.

A water withdrawal from the Tunkhannock Creek, Gibson Twp., of up to 380,000 gallons per day was also approved by SRBC for Southwestern Energy Company for the Price well pad.

Stone Energy Corporation received two approvals to take 750,000 gallons per day each from the Wyalusing Creek in Rush Twp. for use at the Hogan and Stang well pads.

Although two Wyoming County municipalities (Meshoppen and Tunkhannock) have been selling water to natural gas companies, no Susquehanna County municipalities have been approved by SRBC to do so.

Pennsylvania American Water Company, a public water supplier, has agreed to provide and has been approved by SRBC to provide 75,000 gallons per day to Cabot Oil and Gas Corporation the Montrose area filter plant.

According to Susan Turcmanovich, Pennsylvania American Water communications and corporate responsibility specialist, PAWC cannot sell water directly from the reservoir. Cabot is a metered customer of PAWC.

Susan Obleski, SRBC Director of Communications, said the SRBC is currently in the process of revising its regulations to improve administration efficiency and also recognize the mobile nature of the natural gas industry.

Although natural gas companies have previously identified specific well pads with the request for water draws, the proposed revisions will allow the gas companies to use water at other well pads as long as they stay within the approved water draw limits, according to Obleski.

The public comment period for the proposed SRBC revisions is open until Aug. 15. More information is available at the SRBC website, http://www.srbc.net.

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