"Spate of Gas Drilling Leaks Raises Marcellus Concerns"

"As Pennsylvania and other eastern states prepare for a rush of new drilling associated with the Marcellus Shale, gas leaks are prompting questions about whether these states are prepared. On New Year’s Day, 2009, in the tiny northeast Pennsylvania town of Dimock, a drinking-water well blew up because of a methane leak associated with natural-gas drilling nearby. In the spring, high levels of methane--a result of a poorly cased gas well--were found in water supplies in the town of Bradford; in late July, one home near Roaring Brook was evacuated, and alternative sources of drinking water were provided when high gas pressure at another well caused a leak."

Rebecca Renner reports for Environmental Science & Technology September 2, 2009.