The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and Chesapeake Energy are investigating three drinking water wells in Bradford County that tested positive for methane gas.
A spokesman for the DEP said three homes on Brocktown Road in Monroeton have water wells infused with methane, according to WENY-TV.
The DEP discovered the problem after a lid blew off one of the water wells last week. Officials got word of the incident Aug. 4, and the DEP served Chesapeake with a notice of violation.
Right now, the official cause is unknown, but one possible lead is a nearby natural gas drilling well operated by Chesapeake Energy.
Dan Spadoni, DEP spokesman, said Chesapeake Energy notified DEP last week that bubbling could be heard in three drinking wells in Monroe Township.
The DEP investigated and has been meeting with the company.
The company is supplying the affected families with drinking water and installed a methane monitor.
"It should be noted," Spadoni said, "that this can be caused by naturally occurring methane in the ground or it could be related to the drilling of natural gas wells."
Even though the issues are limited to three residents and well water, neighbors said they're concerned about the issue spreading to municipal water.
Bonnie Monahan, a neighbor, told WENY-TV, "Are those guys from Chesapeake and the ones that are doing the fracking, Halliburton and Schlumberger, are they going to want to drink that water? No they're not going to drink that water."
Kenneth Johnson, another neighbor, said, "If stuff gets into our drinking water, that's going to include all of Monroeton, Towanda, everybody ... and that would be a big concern."
