The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) recommends that homeowners who wish to have their private well, cistern or spring water tested should have their water tested for a recommended list of chemicals, metals and organic matter by a Pennsylvania DEP certified laboratory. Below are the steps a homeowner or landowner should take to properly protect their water supply when an oil or gas well is being drilled in the vicinity of their water source.
Steps You Need to Take to Protect Your Water Supply:
Your water supply should be tested within 1 year before the gas/oil well is drilled.
If you don't know wheather a well is being drilled near your property, the DEP has a notice system that can supply you with that information by email. You can sign up for this notification system by going to http://www.ahs2.dep.state.pa.us/eNOTICEWeb/.
You should have the testing done by a DEP Accredited Laboratory to ensure that the proper testing procedures are used and the samples are properly collected.
If an Oil or Gas Well has Already Been Drilled On or Near Your Property
If you were unable to have your water tested before a gas or oil well was drilled, there is still time to do so. Having a baseline test will verify your current water quality and can be used if there is a change in your water in the future.
What D W Environmental Systems Can Do for You
With over 20 years experience in the water treatment business, D W Environmental Systems is now at your service when you need an independent, reliable person to come to your site and test your water source before the drilling of any type of oil or gas well, whether shallow well or deep Marcellus Shale well. We will come to your home or water supply site, collect the water samples in the proper manner to prevent contamination and transport the samples for immediate testing to a Pennsylvania DEP Accredited Laboratory in accordance with the Chapter 252 DEP Accreditation Requirements. If you have a problem with your water supply at some later date, after the drilling of the oil or gas wells, we will be an independent third party that can verify the quality of water you had before the drilling was performed and provide you with the credible results you will need.
