Nov. 6--The Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority is advertising a request to treat gas-well wastewater from Marcellus Shale drilling.

The authority expects to get a permit from the state Department of Environmental Protection in the next month to treat the wastewater, and the water can then be reused for more drilling, Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority Executive Director Fred DeSanto said. The authority wants to get proposals from drilling or hauling companies to see how much they are willing to pay the authority for wastewater treatment, he said.

The wastewater could come from any drilling in the state. Facilities in Sunbury, Williamsport and Hazleton are also looking to treat wastewater from Marcellus Shale drilling, DeSanto said.

Officials say they will get a better idea of who wants drilling wastewater treated and how much they would pay for wastewater treatment after proposals are submitted. Proposals will be received until 10 a.m. Nov. 16, according to a published advertisement.

Marcellus Shale is a rock formation that underlies much of Pennsylvania and portions of New York and West Virginia, and it is suspected of holding trillions of cubic feet of natural gas.

Through a hydrofracturing process, exploration companies blast millions of gallons of chemically treated water into the Marcellus Shale under high pressure. It fractures the rock and leaves sand particles behind in order to prop open fractures in the rock, which allows the gas to flow better. Wastewater treatment plants must contact DEP for a permit to treat certain chemicals. DEP could allow some of the treated water to go into the Susquehanna River, DeSanto said.

mbuffer@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2073

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