With a hose, water is pumped out of an approved stream at a designated withdrawal point and then either transported by truck or conveyed through a water pipeline to a well location.
Water withdrawal for natural gas drilling is one of Pennsylvania’s tightly regulated processes. Depending in which part of the Marcellus Shale play the hydraulic fracturing operations are happening, the Susquehanna River Basin Commission and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection require operators to seek approval before withdrawing or using any amount of water for unconventional natural gas development. Streams must meet certain flow rates and standards in order to be considered for withdrawal; and withdrawal from any streams designated “exceptional value” can only happen with the appropriate regulatory agency’s approval of the operator’s water management plan request.
