PA Environment Digest

Several of the counties now experiencing drought watch and warning conditions, in particular Bradford, Lycoming and Tioga, are areas where Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling uses millions of gallons of water to both drill and frack new wells.

So far, the Susquehanna River Basin Commission, which issues permits for water withdrawals from specific streams for use in well drilling, reports 100 percent compliance with regulations which require drillers to stop withdrawing water from streams experiencing very low flow conditions known as Q7-10.

Q7-10 is the lowest average, consecutive 7-day flow that would occur with a frequency of one in ten years.

Up to 3.4 million gallons of water is used to drill and develop each Marcellus Shale well. An increasing amount of that water is now being recycled by the industry as water handling technology improves.

(Read the related stories: USGS: 19 Counties In Drought Watch Conditions, Drought Task Force Meets July 21, Excessive Heat Causing Large Power Demands.)

For current drought conditions, visit the USGS Pennsylvania Water Science Center webpage.

NewsClips: SRBC Drilling Water Withdrawals Comply With Drought Restrictions

Driller's Water Withdrawals Within Limits

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