BY LAURA LEGERE

Times-Shamrock Writer

State regulators have expanded their investigation of methane in Franklin Twp. water supplies to a water well connected to aSusquehannaCountycountry store.

The Department of Environmental Protection found elevated levels of methane in the atmosphere above the water in the well at Heavenly Angels Convenience Store & Deli, DEP spokeswoman Colleen Connolly said. A vent pipe was attached last week to keep gas from accumulating in a shed enclosing the well.

The methane was detected by DEP inspectors surveying wells around the hamlet of Franklin Forks where regulators have been searching for the source of elevated methane in three water wells along Route 29 since December.

The state has not determined if the gas is seeping into water supplies from natural pathways documented in the region, nearby natural gas drilling or some other cause.

Heavenly Angels owner Lisa Payne said the business has no problems with its water and the well was vented as a precaution. She said the region’s water has always had gas in it.

“When I was a kid we used to turn the water on and you could light it,” she said. “It’s always been here.”

Drinking water saturated with methane is not known to pose any health risks, but the gas is flammable at certain concentrations and can become an explosion hazard in enclosed spaces.

“What we’re concerned about is this well is enclosed in a building,”  Connolly said.

Heavenly Angels is considered a public water supply under state regulations.  Connolly said the well water is used to wash hands, flush toilets and clean dishes, but is not generally used for drinking.

DEP’s water supply division took samples at the well last week, she said. The agency is waiting for the test results.