Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Stream Quality In Tributaries Near Shale-Gas Drilling In Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District

By Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Water Science Center November 4, 2016

The potential effect of drilling and hydraulic fracturing on freshwater resources is an issue that is in the news daily in Ohio and adjacent areas of the Appalachian Basin. This investigation will characterize the current (2015-16), baseline surface-water quality in the eastern part of the Muskingum River Watershed in Ohio where development of natural gas from the Utica Shale has begun and is likely to increase over the next decade. Future water-quality data can be compared to these baseline data to identify changes in water quality.

The potential effect of drilling and hydraulic fracturing on freshwater resources is an issue that is in the news daily in Ohio and adjacent areas of the Appalachian Basin. This investigation will characterize the current (2015-16), baseline surface-water quality in the eastern part of the Muskingum River Watershed in Ohio where development of natural gas from the Utica Shale has begun and is likely to increase over the next decade. Future water-quality data can be compared to these baseline data to identify changes in water quality.