Assessing the Surface Water Quality Impacts of Marcellus Shale Development in Whiteday Creek Watershed, West Virginia

The Marcellus shale can likely support the drilling of thousands of wells, potentially increasing economic activity and helping meet energy needs. Concerns remain of possible environmental impacts to water resources. This research assessed impacts of drilling for gas in the Marcellus shale in Whiteday Creek watershed in northern West Virginia by monitoring water quality. Four stream sites, located upstream and downstream of an active drilling operation, were monitored. Conductivity, pH, turbidity, and temperature were measured biweekly at each sampling site. Water grab samples were also collected biweekly and analyzed for alkalinity, acidity, bromide, calcium, chloride, magnesium, sulfate, and strontium. Differences between upstream and downstream field sites were observed in conductivity, pH, and total dissolved solids.