Clean flowback water and new jobs are what is being produced in the AOP Clearwater water treatment plant that opened last November in Fairmont, West Virginia. They are using a distillation-crystallization process that cleans the brine from the flowback water and allows it to be used for further fracking jobs. The brine is then reused to treat winter roads. Trucks bring in full loads of frackwater, empty in 11 minutes then fill back up with clean water for another frack job in the same amount of time. Sixteen new jobs were created at this site. Regulators in West Virginia require producers to report the source, treatment and disposal of frack water and the plant is complying with the regulations.

One of the major arguments against drilling in New York is the issue of disposal of flowback water. The process is working in West Virginia and it would in New York as well. When the DEC finalizes the drilling regulations, I hope to see investment and development of similar water treatment facilities in New York State. Proven technology to treat flowback water is being utilized in West Virginia and the benefits are clean water, jobs and economic development. New York needs to embrace development of the Marcellus Shale and the many related business opportunities instead of continually erecting roadblocks to development.