Water has become one of the most contentious issues surrounding proposed Marcellus Shale drilling in New York State. Concerns have been raised about the amounts and sources of water used, the chemicals
added to make the fracturing solution, the fate of the fluid that stays in the ground after the shale has
been fractured, and the storage and disposal of the fluid that returns to the surface after fracturing. This
paper will describe what happens to water until it goes into a well. The next paper in the series, Marcellus
Issue 8, Water – Out of the Wells, discusses issues connected to water after it leaves the well.