BY PATRICK LEONARD

Students at Wilkes University’s Institute for Energy and Environmental Research forNortheastern Pennsylvaniahave been looking into the health of area waters.

Last week they were inWyomingCountycreeks.

On Monday morning, they conducted a surface water assessment at Deer Lick Creek inRushTownship,SusquehannaCounty.

The assessment is part of a project being run at the University, testing the impacts that Marcellus shale drilling is having on natural water sources in Luzerne, Susquehanna, Sullivan, Bradford, Pike andWyomingcounties.

The initial phase of the project began last September and testing started in January. The University received an $880,000 grant from the National Energy Technicians Laboratory to direct the project.

“What we are trying to determine is if gas drilling and other activities affect our surface water,” explained Dr. Ken Climo, an ecology professor at Wilkes who is working as the project’s associate director.

“Right now there is no strong signal that Marcellus shale drilling is having a big impact but it is still too early to tell,” Dr. Climo continued. “We are still analyzing our spring samples.”

The institute conducts assessments in each of the four seasons to determine accurately the pollution levels of the water.

They collect samples of insect life in the water to determine the water’s cleanliness. High numbers of mayflies, caddis flies and stone flies indicate clean water.

If a stream’s water contains high numbers of midges, leeches and blood worms, the water is likely polluted.

“The public tends to be highly biased with an issue like this,” Climo said. “People choose sides. We need to be objective and understand the science so we can explain it. As scientists we cannot afford to be biased. We live and die on our reputations.”

Wilkes’ staff for this project consists of five fulltime employees and five students. Four of the students working on the project are either biology or environmental science majors. One student is studying communications and works on the project’s publications.

On Monday Erich Schramm led a team of five from the institute to collect bug samples from Deer Lick Stream. Schramm is the institute’s director and outreach coordinator.

Accompanying Schramm were senior biology major Kristi Ciaston; senior environmental science major Jessica Bonczewski; junior environmental science major Keri Skvarla; and post-baccalaureate associate Courtney Sperger.

The team was there to collect 200 samples of insect life from the stream. The samples would then be brought back to the University’s laboratory where they would be separated, labeled and analyzed to determine the pollution levels of the stream water.

“Everything we collect, we have to analyze but we can get a feel for the water just being out here,” Schramm said. “The stream here is clear; it has a nice flow. Those are good signs that the water is healthy.”

The students took samples from six different parts of the stream, measured off in nine feet increments. They began their sample collecting downstream and worked their way up so as not to disrupt the insect’s movements.

They also measured the chemical parameters of the stream itself, checking, among other things, the stream’s temperature and conductivity.

“We analyze the insects to tell us if there is something wrong with the water,” Sperger explained. “We analyze the stream to tell us what is wrong. The water could be polluted but that doesn’t mean it’s because of drilling. We can determine what is causing the pollution.”

Sperger stated that preliminary findings from the group’s study should be available in approximately one month.

The project is scheduled to continue throughout this calendar year. Schramm noted the significance of the work the team is doing.

“What we’re doing out here is like an early warning system,” Schramm said. “If a stream is polluted, obviously people need to know that. It can be a tedious process but it is important.”