An informational program titled: Home Water Well Testing in the Gas Well Area is being held June 15.
Jointly hosted by Penn State Cooperative Extension and the Wayne Conservation District, the program is being offered at two separate locations and times: Damascus School in Damascus from 2 to 4 p.m. or the Park Street Complex in Honesdale from 7 to 9 p.m.
“We feel that people should be more aware of general water testing with their wells. They should be testing every so often to make sure that their drinking water is of a good quality. But also, it’s obvious that we need to do this with the gas wells ...gas drilling coming in,” said Jamie Knecht, district watershed specialist.
Pat Mohn, Penn State Cooperative Extension, said a standard well test costs $50, whereas testing geared more towards an oil and gas drilling area would run around $65. Such a test would include testing for: coliform bacteria, E. coli, total dissolved solids, barium and chlorides.
There are a lot of different packages and prices, she said. Testing for heavy metals, including arsenic would cost around $130.
The meeting’s agenda includes: how gas wells can impact groundwater wells, regulations to protect private wells, potential pollutants, testing strategies, how to collect water samples, and interpretation of water test results.
Presenters include: Bryan Swistock, Water Resources, Penn State University and Joe Calabro, Aqua-Tech Laboratory.
Admission is $5 at the door. Reservations are required. For more information or to make a reservation, call Penn State Extension at 253-5970, extension 4110; or Wayne Conservation District at 253-0930.
Additional water educational resources are available at http://water.cas.psu.edu.
