The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County has approved a new one-year contract with IUP to continue water testing at the Beaver Run Reservoir in Bell Township, which serves more than 122,000 customers in five counties, including a small portion of Indiana County.
It will be the 11th year that IUP students and faculty have monitored surface water quality at the reservoir, which is host to 54 natural gas wells in a 43-square mile drainage area. Since 2011, the testing has confirmed no water quality issues from the presence of the wells.
The testing is supervised by IUP Geography & Regional Planning and Chemistry faculty members.
IUP will be paid $106,000 to conduct quarterly testing including at least 95 stream water samples and 21 reservoir samples, specifically looking for chemicals that are byproducts of gas well drilling operations.
A separate air quality contract for IUP to test for methane and other emissions from drilling operations will come up for renewal by the Authority later in the year.
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