Water testing near Marcellus drilling shows need to educate consumers

Suggested Intro:

A BIG QUESTION SURROUNDING PENNSYLVANIA'S MARCELLUS SHALE WELL DRILLING HAS BEEN: DOES IT HARM THE STATE'S PRIVATE WELLS AND WATER SUPPLIES? BUT A PENN STATE EXTENSION STUDY INDICATES THAT FRACKING MAY NOT BE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE TO SAFE DRINKING WATER. GARY ABDULLAH HAS MORE.

Story:

(:22)  THE FIRST MAJOR STUDY OF DRINKING-WATER WELLS NEAR MARCELLUS SHALE DRILLING IN 20 COUNTIES DID NOT FIND SIGNIFICANT CONTAMINATION FROM HYDRAULIC FRACTURING. PENN STATE EXTENSION WATER SPECIALIST BRYAN SWISTOCK SAYS THE STUDY DID FIND THAT 40 PERCENT OF TEST PARTICIPANTS HAD WATER THAT FAILED AT LEAST ONE QUALITY TEST BEFORE DRILLING EVEN OCCURRED. THE KEYS, SWISTOCK SAYS, ARE REGULAR TESTS AND EDUCATION:

Swistock Actuality:

(:18) "OUR STUDY REALLY DIDN'T FIND A LOT OF CHANGES, BUT IT HAD LIMITATIONS, AND MORE RESEARCH IS GOING TO NEED TO BE DONE. I DON'T THINK PEOPLE SHOULD TAKE THESE RESULTS AND BE COMPLACENT ABOUT IT. IT'S IMPORTANT THAT THEY CONTINUE TO MONITOR THEIR WATER, BECAUSE EVEN IF CHANGES AREN'T COMMON, IF IT HAPPENS TO THEM, IT'S GOING TO BE REALLY IMPORTANT TO THEM AND THEY'RE GOING TO WANT TO HAVE THAT TESTING DATA TO REALIZE THAT."

(:09) THE REPORT IS AVAILABLE ONLINE FROM THE CENTER FOR RURAL PENNSYLVANIA AT RURAL DOT P-A LEGISLATURE DOT U-S. FROM PENN STATE, I’M GARY ABDULLAH.

LEARN MORE:

"Study looks at water quality in private wells near Marcellus drilling"