Monday, July 23, 2012

DEP to Study Air Quality in Marcellus Drilling Region


It took a while - but finally the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will be conducting a long term air quality study of Marcellus Shale development. The study will be in Washington County, Pennsylvania.

The data from the study will allow DEP to assess any potential long-term impact of air emissions from unconventional natural gas operations to nearby communities, and it will help DEP address the cumulative impact of the operations in the Marcellus Shale region.

The primary site of the long-term study will be downwind of the Houston gas processing plant in Chartiers Township, Washington County, where DEP will monitor for ground-level ozone, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrogen sulfide and methane. The ambient air will also be tested for more than 60 volatile organic compounds, including hazardous air pollutants, and meteorological data will be collected continuously.

DEP will also monitor for volatile organic compounds and collect meteorological data at three additional sites in Chartiers Township and Hickory Township. One of the Chartiers Township sites is upwind of the Houston gas processing plant and the other is downwind of the Brigich compressor station. The site in Hickory Township will be located downwind of the Stewart compressor stations.

You can read the complete press release here.
You can read the study’s sampling protocol here.

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