Penn State’s School of Forest Resources and Cooperative Extension have received funding from the Center for Rural Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Water Resources Research Center to conduct a research study on the potential impacts of Marcellus Shale gas drilling on rural drinking water wells.

The data collected from the study is for research purposes and the education of each homeowner, Penn State officials said.

Private water wells near completed Marcellus gas well sites will be selected for free post-drilling water testing of several water quality parameters.

To be eligible for this free post-drilling water testing, participants must meet all of the following criteria:

• Own a private water well (no springs/cisterns can be included in the study).

• Have an existing Marcellus gas well (drilled and hydrofractured) within about 5,000 feet (one mile) of the water well.

• Provide copies of water test results from a state-accredited water lab showing, at a minimum, concentrations of total dissolved solids, chloride and barium in the water well before the Marcellus gas well was drilled.

• Be willing and available to allow a Penn State researcher to visit your home between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. on March 7 to collect a sample from the water well. During the visit, the homeowner will be asked to complete a short written survey and provide a copy of the pre-drilling water test data described above.

Due to funding constraints, all eligible applicants cannot be promised inclusion in this study. Selection will be based on eligibility, geographic location and other factors.

Participants selected for the study will personally benefit by receiving a free test of their home drinking water supply and information about the results of those tests. Interested residents with water wells that meet the research criteria should contact Penn State Extension in Butler County at 724-287-4761 or ButlerExt@psu.edu to register.

This material is submitted by Donna Zang, extension director, and the staff of the Penn State Extension office at the Sunnyview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center complex.