Paper: Drilling damaged water supplies in Pa.


May 20, 2013 at 12:00a.m.

Paper: Drilling damaged water supplies in Pa.

SCRANTON, Pa.

An eastern Pennsylvania newspaper has obtained state records showing that oil and gas development damaged the water supplies of at least 161 Pennsylvania homes, farms, churches and businesses between 2008 and the fall of 2012.

The (Scranton) Times- Tribune said about 17 percent of the investigations indicated that water supplies were either temporarily or seriously disrupted enough to require companies to replace the source.

Faulty wells channeled natural gas into the water supplies for 90 properties.

A state official said contamination incidents increased with the Marcellus Shale drilling boom in 2008.

Gas prices up 11 cents

CAMARILLO, Calif.

The average U.S. price of a gallon of gasoline has jumped 11 cents over the past two weeks.

The Lundberg Survey of fuel prices released Sunday says the price of a gallon of regular is $3.66. Midgrade costs an average of $3.84 a gallon, and premium is $3.98.

From wire reports

Selected local stocks

STOCK, DIVIDENDCLOSECHANGE

Aqua America, .70, 32.71 .22

Avalon Holdings,3.45—.09

Clear Channel, .61 32.37 —.21

Cortland Bancorp, 10.25—.05

Farmers Nat., .126.40 —.11

First Energy, 2.20, 43.78.68

FirstMerit Corp., .64,18.29 .34

First Niles Financial, .32,7.00.00

First Place Fin., .0019—.00

FNB Corp., .48,11.84.13

General Motors,33.421.03

General Electric, .76,23.43.16

Motors Liquidation, .0422.00

Huntington Bank, .20, 7.74.15

JP Morgan Chase, 1.52,52.291.32

Key Corp, .20,10.81.24

LaFarge, 17.39 .03

Macy’s, .80, 48.67.79

Parker Hannifin, 1.72, 99.992.40

PNC, 1.76,71.521.06

RTI Intl. Metals,28.73.42

Simon Prop. Grp.,4.60,179.862.30

Stoneridge 10.18 .22

United Community Fin. 3.79.01

Selected prices at 4 p.m. Friday. Provided by Stifel Nicolaus. Not to be construed as an offer or recommendation to buy or sell any security.