Federal tests of water in Dimock, Penn., found elevated levels of methane consistent with leakage from gas drilling nearby, according to scientists who reviewed the data.
Results from the first 11 wells tested by the EPA found one with a methane level of 52 parts per million, which could be explosive, and at least three others above the state standard of 7 milligrams per liter, Bishop said.
One Dimock resident has said her water well exploded. Craig Sautner, a Dimock resident leading efforts against Cabot, said he recorded a video showing gas from his well captured in a milk jug that he set on fire in his garage.
Two other scientists who have done their own research in the Dimock area say elevated levels of methane reported in the EPA analyses is a sign that natural gas from the Marcellus Shale is somehow migrating to the surface water table.