Officials Discuss Drilling 2nd Gas Well In Scarnati's Home Town Aquifer

Aquifer breach on Brockway watershed detailed at meeting

DuBois Courier Express

Incidents involved in the drilling of one well were explained Wednesday as state regulators consider an application for a second well.

Members of the Department of Environmental Protection's Northwest Regional Office, Flatirons Development LLC, the Brockway Borough Municipal Authority, state Reps. Sam Smith and Matt Gabler and state Sen. Joe Scarnati met with about 100 concerned citizens Wednesday to discuss Flatirons' application.

Flatirons wants to drill another well on the Rattlesnake Watershed.

The proposed well was permitted Dec. 27, 2010, and expired a year later. The new application was submitted Dec. 27 and is under review.

DEP Oil and Gas Regional Manager Craig Lobins traced the history of Flatirons' first well, which was permitted Jan. 10, 2011, and drilled in February.

During the drilling process, Flatirons pierced the freshwater aquifer and interrupted the water flow of the authority's Well No. 5, an artesian well, for 29 hours. More...