Feature- As Gas Wells Proliferate, Water Worries Grow In Upper Susquehanna Watershed

The just published Fall 2009 issue of Save the Bay magazine by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation includes a special article on the potential impact of Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling in Pennsylvania, a must read for everyone concerned about this issue.

In northern Pennsylvania, at the edge of the Chesapeake watershed, a race to extract natural gas from one of the largest deposits in the country is causing hearburn among anglers, sportsmen and water quality advocates.

The effects of the drilling could blight what one conservationist calls "some of the last, best places we have in Pennsylvania"- pristine streams and deep forests that once sustained American Indian tribes and still aggract passionate outdoorsmen.

The coldwater brooks in the state's norther tier are prime attractions for visitors, who spend nearly $2.5 billion in the region every year.

As big drilling companies from across the nation position themselves to tap into a major energy source, some residents are uneasy about the environmental impact of the process. Their concerns focus on the erosion and sediment created as wells are built and the disposal of millions of gallons of tainted water used to release the gas from the ground.

Questions on the effects of the drilling are surfacing in Bradford, Tioga and Susquehanna counties in northeastern Pennsylvania, which were among the state's leaders in the number of drilling permits issued in 2008. Waterways there are particularly vulnerable to the changes, and drain directly into the North Branch of the Susquehanna River, the Bay's largest tributary.

Click here to read the entire article.