College student: Gas industry, while 'great,' also a cause for wastewater worries

By KRISTEN NUSS - knuss@sungazette.com

A college student from Loyalsock Township is concerned about the natural gas industry's potential effect on the water in his hometown.

Ben McMullen, who just finished his freshman year and is home for the summer, said some students on his campus were concerned about drinking tap water and from the campus water fountains.

He said during the school year many students regularly carried bottled water to class.

"People were buying cases of water," McMullen, 19, said. "Wal-mart was out of water almost everyday."

In addition to bottled water, he said, many students purchased Brita filters, but some believed those were not strong enough to clean the water.

McMullen, who is spending the summer painting student apartments near Lycoming College, realizes for the time being the city is still a good distance away from the drilling, but he still worries about the impact the industry might have on the city's water as it moves closer.

"Williamsport is a bigger city with a lot more people who could be impacted," he said.

While he is concerned about the potential impact on the water and would like to see the gas companies develop better strategies for keeping it clean, McMullen also believes the industry is good for the area and has done a lot for the local economy.

"All in all, it's a great thing for the economy and the area. I support the idea of getting energy from the area," McMullen said. "(However), if they have the money to pay their workers well, why can't they spend the money researching better ways to clean the waste-water?"

Source: http://www.sungazette.com/page/content.detail/id/565137.html

mario games coyote lexisnexis miranda kerr education chrome os spam