Inside Climate News: PennEnergy Surrenders Water Withdrawal Approval/Permit Saying Big Sewickley Creek In Beaver County Could Not Provide Enough Water For Shale Gas Operations

On May 29, Inside Climate News reported PennEnergy Resources surrendered a 1.5 million gallon per day DEP water withdrawal plan approval and a related permit saying Big Sewickley Creek in Beaver County could not provide enough water to support its shale gas drilling operations.

The Big Sewickley Creek Watershed Association and area residents had expressed serious concerns at the time DEP was considering the permit whether that much water could be safely withdrawn from the stream without harming aquatic life and recreation uses.  Read more here.

“Critics had urged PennEnergy to withdraw water from the nearby Ohio River or another larger waterway, not the Big Sewickley Creek. But the company first rejected that option, saying the creek fit its policy of using a withdrawal site as close as possible to its gas well pad, cutting truck traffic.”

“Advocates for the creek welcomed the company’s decision as a victory for the local environment. 

“Big Sewickley Creek does not have sufficient flow, and other water sources should have been more thoroughly considered, especially prior to the clearing of mature forest, and the construction of a gravel pad in the creek’s most beloved recreational area,” Katie Stanley, president of the Big Sewickley Creek Watershed Association, said in a statement.

Click Here to read the entire article.

Appeal Dismissed

The Big Sewickley Creek Watershed Association had appealed DEP’s approval of PennEnergy water management plan and related permit to the Environmental Hearing Board on March 5, 2024.  EHB Docket No. 2024065

The Board dismissed the appeal as moot on May 8, 2025 because the addition of Big Sewickley Creek as a water source and the issuance of a related Chapter 105 permit were canceled and rescinded by DEP at the request of PennEnergy.

(Photo: Inside Climate News - View of Big Sewickley Creek downstream from PennEnergy’s proposed water withdrawal site.)

Resource Link:

-- DEP Approves PennEnergy Resources 1.5 Million Gallon/Day Water Withdrawal For Shale Gas Drilling From Big Sewickley Creek In Beaver County  [PaEN] 

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[Posted: May 29, 2025]  PA Environment Digest