Citizens to Protect the Ambridge Reservoir (CPAR)
Ambridge Reservoir, photo: Steve White
BCMAC formed the sub-committee; Citizens to Protect the Ambridge Reservoir (CPAR) in 2012 to protect the reservoir from unconventional gas drilling. Water is essential to life. Its ongoing viability depends on our acting responsibly. CPAR has been working closely with our local municipal water authority, PA legislators and senators, boroughs and townships, to ensure our community will long have access to this vital, pristine resource.
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The Ambridge Reservoir, located in the Service Creek Watershed, is an aquifer located in a rural, pastoral setting in the townships west of the Ohio River. This spring-fed watershed supplies drinking water for over 30,000 customers. Municipalities whose drinking water is supplied by Ambridge and Edgeworth Water Authorities include Ambridge, Baden, Economy, Harmony Township, Bell Acres, Edgeworth, Leet, and Leetsdale.
Additional Reading
DEP – Department of Environmental Protection
If residents suspect contamination with their water supply, they should contact DEP immediately at 570-327-3636. Residents with impacted water supplies should not use their water for drinking, cooking, or bathing.
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Test your water every year for total coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids, and pH levels.
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If you suspect other contaminants, test for those too.
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Always use a state-certified laboratory that conducts drinking water tests.
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The Ambridge Water Authority announced at their August 2017 meeting that they have begun the Source Water Protection Plan process!
Ambridge residents worried that Shell pipelines could endanger the water supply
by Eliza Fawcett, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 18, 2017
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Representative Robert Matzie – House Bill 696
House Bill 2366 would prohibit the drilling of unconventional gas wells within 4,000 feet of any existing dam or reservoir, such as the Ambridge Reservoir. Additionally, the bill would prohibit the drilling of unconventional gas wells within 2,000 horizontal-feet of any existing water well, surface water intake, or water supply extraction point used by a water purveyor without the written consent of the water purveyor.
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Public Herald PA Water Contamination Complaints by County
Public Herald created this online open-source #fileroom primarily for the public and journalists to contribute to and access. The purpose of this website is to provide accurate up-to-date information about oil and gas files managed by a collective effort of individuals and organizations.
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FRACKING: Gas Drilling’s Environmental Threat
ProPublica: Vast deposits of natural gas have brought a drilling boom across much of the country, but the technique being used, called hydraulic fracturing, is suspected of causing hundreds of cases of water contamination. Now environmentalists and lawmakers are pushing for closer oversight of the gas industry, which is pushing back.