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DRBC Staff Perform Radiochemistry Monitoring

In advance of adopting natural gas development regulations, DRBC has been working to characterize pre-drilling water quality conditions in the non-tidal Delaware River Watershed. Toward this end, DRBC has performed significant monitoring to characterize baseline specific conductance, biological condition, and water chemistry relating to hydraulic fracturing. 

But, the commission realized that additional information was needed to characterize background pre‐fracturing naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORMs). Under this project, supported by funding from the William Penn Foundation, DRBC will strengthen the protection of Delaware River Basin water quality against impacts from natural gas development by collecting baseline radiochemistry data.

For this investigation, DRBC will perform one year of quarterly monitoring for radiochemistry, including alpha and beta emitters, radium‐226, and radium-228 at 33 water quality control points in the upper and middle Delaware River Basin. The survey kicked off January 17, 2014, with staff collecting surface water samples from various bridges crossing the Delaware River.

Check out additional photos on DRBC's Flickr page.

For more information on DRBC's monitoring efforts to establish baseline pre-drilling conditions, please click here.

DRBC's John Yagecic prepares to collect a surface water sample from the Delaware River. Photo by DRBC.DRBC's John Yagecic and Ron MacGillivray collect a surface water sample from the Delaware River. Photo by DRBC.DRBC's John Yagecic prepares to collect a surface water sample from the Delaware River. Photo by DRBC.DRBC's John Yagecic prepares a surface water sample for the laboratory. Photo by DRBC.DRBC's Ron MacGillivray prepares a surface water sample for the laboratory. Photo by DRBC.DRBC's John Yagecic and Ron MacGillivray prepare a surface water sample for the laboratory. Photo by DRBC.