Towns to sell Consol water for Pittsburgh airport wells

Towns to sell Consol water for Pittsburgh airport wells

IMPERIAL, Pa. (AP) — Consol Energy and the authority that runs Pittsburgh International Airport aren’t the only parties expecting a windfall from plans to drill 47 Marcellus Shale natural gas wells at the airport beginning next year.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports Consol plans to buy water for hydraulic fracturing from Findlay and Moon townships, where the 9,000-acre airport property is located.

The process, also known as fracking, involves injecting chemically treated water into the ground to crack the shale formation to release the natural gas trapped in it.

Jason Orsini is the general manager of the Findlay Township water authority. He says Consol expects to use 1 million gallons of water daily, or about twice as much as the township’s businesses and residents already use.

The water sales are expected to generate millions of dollars for the townships.