PA American Water Begins Construction On Pipeline To Provide Replacement Water For Dimock Township Residents Who Had Wells Contaminated By Shale Gas Drilling 20 Years Ago In Susquehanna County

On May 22, Pennsylvania American Water announced it has begun construction on a water pipeline that will serve Dimock Township in Susquehanna County. 

This marks the second phase of a multi-year project to develop a public groundwater supply and build a new drinking water system for residents whose wells were contaminated by shale gas drilling 20 years ago.

“We are proud to play a role in delivering a lasting, safe water solution for the people of Dimock,” said Thom Chiomento, vice president of business development, government and external affairs at Pennsylvania American Water. “This project demonstrates the power of public-private coordination to protect health and restore trust in a community’s water supply.”

The project stems from a 2022 agreement negotiated between the office of then-Attorney General Josh Shapiro and Coterra Energy, through which Pennsylvania American Water was selected to design, permit, and construct a new Dimock Township water system. 

The system features a four-stage treatment process to remove contaminants and provide reliable, clean, and safe drinking water.

Construction on the new water pipeline includes installing approximately six miles of water distribution pipeline and service lines to each impacted home. 

When the new water pipeline is connected, all existing plumbing will be disconnected from individual wells to prevent cross-contamination.

Pipeline construction will take place along four roads in the township:

-- The Dimock to Nicholson Road (SR3023)

-- The Dimock to Brooklyn Road (SR2024)

-- Carter Road

-- Meshoppen Creek Road

“There will be lane restrictions during construction and occasional road closures,” said Jeremy Nelson, project manager for Pennsylvania American Water. “Even when we need to close the road entirely for work, our crews will maintain an alternate route around the closure.”

The final road restoration is expected to be completed by early 2026. 

Construction on the new water treatment system is expected to be completed by mid-2026, with home connections finalized soon after. 

This project phase follows several other recent milestones, including identifying a suitable public well location and test well drilling.

Click Here for the PA American Water announcement.

Resource Links - Dimock:

-- PA American Water Identifies Water Source For New Public Water System To Replace Water Wells Contaminated By Shale Gas Fracking 20 Years Ago In Dimock Twp., Susquehanna County  [PaEN]

-- AG Shapiro: Coterra Energy, Formerly Cabot Oil & Gas, Pleads No Contest To A Criminal Charge Related To Polluting Water Supplies In Dimock, Susquehanna County [PaEN - December 2022]

-- DEP Consent Agreement Allowing Shale Gas Drilling To Resume Under Dimock, Susquehanna County Sets New Drilling, Water Supply Protection Standards, Imposes $444,000 Penalty [PaEN - December 2022]

-- Attorney General Shapiro Files Criminal Charges Against Cabot Oil & Gas For Water, Methane Contamination In Dimock, Susquehanna County  [PaEN - June, 2020]

-- DEP Issues Cabot Oil & Gas Second Order To Correct Water Problems In Dimock  [PaEN 4.19.2010]

-- Video Blog- Dimock Residents Talk About Well Explosions, Water Problems Related To Gas Drilling [PaEN 11.16.2009]

PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - May 17 to 23 -- Failure To Comply With Shale Well Plugging Order; 28 Months Without 3 Conventional Well Cleanups; 206 Abandoned Conventional Wells; Road Dumping Continues  [PaEN] 

-- Environmental Hearing Board Agrees There Is ‘Acute’ Danger In CNX Misusing A Deposition In An Appeal Before The Board To ‘Punish’ An Environmental Advocate For Her Advocacy Against CNX  [PaEN]

-- Late Night Dumping II:  Conventional Oil & Gas Wastewater Dumping Continues On Roads, This Time With Bigger Trucks; New Research On Harmful Wastewater Impacts  [PaEN] 

-- PA American Water Begins Construction Of Pipeline To Provide Replacement Water For Dimock Township Residents Who Had Wells Contaminated By Shale Gas Drilling 20 Years Ago In Susquehanna County  [PaEN]  

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - May 24 [PaEN] 

-- DEP Posted 95 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In May 24 PA Bulletin  [PaEN]  

Related Articles This Week:

-- Evangelical Environmental Network: US House-Passed Budget Bill Raises Costs, Increases Health Risks; Eliminates PA’s MERP Conventional Oil & Gas Well Plugging Funding  [PaEN]

-- House Committee Told PA Needs An Energy Policy, Doing Nothing Means We Are Going To Run Out Of Power; Overreliance On One Fuel-- Gas-- Is Raising Electricity Prices [PaEN]  

-- PUC Urges Electricity Customers To Start Shopping, Conserve Energy To Help Avoid Impact Of June 1 Rate Increases Of Between 5% and 16% On Most Electric Bills  [PaEN]

-- PUC To Investigate Proposed 18.4% Rate + 37.5% Customer Charge Increase By Wellsboro Electric; 18% Gas Increase + 13.4% Customer Charge Increase For Valley Energy Gas; 11% Rate + 26% Customer Charge Increase For Citizens' Electric  [PaEN] 

-- Energy Future PA Co-Chairs: Federal Budget Proposal That Eliminates Clean Energy Tax Credits Puts Billions In Private Investment, Thousands Of Jobs At Risk In PA  [PaEN] 

NewsClips:

-- Inquirer Guest Essay: 9 In 10 Pennsylvanians Support Stronger Health Protection From Oil & Gas Fracking - By Joanne Kilgour, Ohio River Valley Institute,  and Alison Steele, Environmental Health Project  [PDF of Article]

-- Post-Gazette Guest Essay: Pennsylvania’s Natural Gas Industry Needs More And Better Regulation - By Rep. Greg Vitali (D-Delaware) Majority Chair House Environmental & Natural Resource Protection Committee

-- City & State PA Guest Essay: Pennsylvania Must Energize Efforts To Regulate Its Oil And Gas Industry - By By Rep. Greg Vitali (D-Delaware) Majority Chair House Environmental & Natural Resource Protection Committee

-- Kleinman Center For Energy Policy Blog: Fact-Free US Energy Policy Portends Long-Term Damage To The US - By John Quigley

-- WITF The Spark: Legal Battle Over Carbon Pollution Cap Could Shape Pennsylvania’s Energy Future 

-- The Citizens Voice Letter: Plan To Extract Lithium From OIl & Gas Wastewater Without A Full Accounting Of Its Hazards Is Not A Solution - By Tonyehn Verkitus, Physicians For Social Responsibility-PA  [PDF of Article]

-- The Conversation Guest Essay: Why Your Electricity Bill Is So High And What Pennsylvania Is Doing About It - By Hannah Wiseman and Seth Blumsack From Penn State University  [Data Center Demand, Rising Fuel Costs] 

-- Utility Dive Guest Essay: Is Your Electric Bill Too High?  Thank LNG Gas Exports - By Lt.. General Russel L. Honore (Retired)  [Stop Selling LNG To Our Competitors]

-- PA Capital-Star: Lawmakers Hear Testimony On Meeting PA Power Demand: ‘Huge Amount Of Growth’

-- WHYY - Susan Phillips: With Soaring Summer Temps Ahead, A.I. Data Centers Could Strain Electricity Supplies In The Delaware Valley

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: TECfusions Unveils Plans For Massive Data Center, A.I. Campus, Up To 3 Gigawatt Natural Gas Power Plants At Former Alcoa Site In Westmoreland County  [PDF of Article]  

-- The Center Square: Electric Transmission Upgrades At Crucial Turning Point 

-- LancasterOnline: How PPL, Met-Ed Customers May Be Able To Duck June 1 Electricity Price Hikes

-- Observer-Reporter: Southwest PA Schools Among Those To Receive Funding To Install Solar Panels

-- The Citizens Voice: Hanover Area School District Gets $400,000 Grant For Solar Energy Facility

-- Tribune-Democrat: Cambria County Commissioners Take Steps Toward Solar Energy Project At Prison

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: The Future Is Nuclear, The US, Pittsburgh Must Be Ready

-- WESA: PA Lawmakers Question Pittsburgh-Area Utilities On April 20 Storm Response, Power Outages

-- Wilkes-Barre Times Leader Guest Essay: New England Needs PA’s Natural Gas - Dems Won’t Let Them Have It - By Jessica Towhey, Communications Strategist

-- Bloomberg: New York’s Natural Gas Pipeline For Offshore Wind Farm Bargain Will  Move The Fight To Massachusetts

-- Utility Dive: ICF Consulting Sees 25% Electricity Load Growth By 2030 Driving Up To 40% Increase In Residential Electricity Rates

-- Utility Dive: US House Republican Budget ‘Worse Than Feared’ For Clean Energy - Analysts 

-- Bloomberg: New Fortress LNG Exporter Disqualified From Puerto Rico Auction; Company Value Has Fallen 80% This Year  [Company Pursuing LNG Projects In PA]

-- Physicians For Social Responsibility-Colorado, FracTracker: Oil & Gas Fracking Chemicals Still Secret In Colorado, Little Compliance With 2022 Law Designed To Prevent Toxic Exposures

-- The Guardian: Colorado Oil & Gas Drilling Companies Not Complying With Fracking Chemicals Disclosure Law, Ban On Use Of PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’

-- US DOE Releases Response To Comments On 2024 LNG Gas Export Study Saying No Discernible Impact On Climate Emissions, Minimizing Impacts On Prices [DOE Said The Opposite In December ] 

-- The Hill: US DOE Now Says LNG Gas Export Environmental Impacts ‘Outside’ Its Authority

-- Reuters: US Natural Gas Prices Fall Into Negative Territory In Texas Due To Pipeline Maintenance

[Posted: May 22, 2025]  PA Environment Digest