Natural gas development has helped to revitalize Pennsylvania’s economy and create jobs.  Examples exist to counter the speculation as to the exact number of jobs created, and Aquatech, a company that specializes in water purification technology, is just one of many who have hired more people and expanded business thanks to natural  gas development.

There is always skepticism about the actual number of jobs natural gas development brings to an area.  Our friends on the other side of the issue try to minimize economic benefits that are fairly obvious to us.  Many supporters of natural gas tend to focus on jobs directly related to the development process and infrastructure – pipelines, well completion, hauling and that sort of thing.

While these activities do provide many jobs, there are also many ancillary positions created as a direct result of natural gas development.  Aquatech, is a perfect example of such an ancillary business.  Its success is being directly affected by natural gas development in Pennsylvania and with that comes economic benefits for its owners, its employees, the communities where it pays taxes and its customers.

Aquatech and Flowback Recycling

Aquatech has been working with the energy industry for approximately 30 years and is based within the Marcellus Shale region. It was established in 1981 and is a industry leader in water purification technology; the company focuses on desalination, water reuse and zero liquid discharge for a variety of enterprises.  It also, with respect to natural gas development, works in the field of recycling flowback fluid.  Its motto in this regard is “good for the unconventional gas industry and good for the environment.”

Many operators in the Marcellus Shale have been taking advantage of rapidly advancing technology and moving to the full recycling of flowback fluid for some time.  Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC) member companies have adopted a 100% flowback recycling standard, in fact.

The company emphasizes the positive impacts of flowback recycling on the sustainability of natural gas operations and the environment.   Through the use of on-site water treatment, Aquatech is able to scale back noise, dust, carbon emissions and road damage associated with natural gas development.  Mitigating these issues is effectively reducing the environmental footprint of natural gas development on a daily basis.

Where MoTreat Fits Into the Hydraulic Fracturing Process

One example of Aquatech’s services to natural gas development is the MoTreat or Mobile Water Pre-Treatment System, which directly reduces truck traffic for water hauling.  This, in turn, means less wear and tear on roads.  MoTreat is outfitted to handle different treatment options:

Reduction of hardness compounds, disinfection against bacteria and precipitation of selective metals.

Below is a video highlighting Aquatech’s activities in the Marcellus Shale region:

Aquatech Expansion

Aquatech has expanded its business twice in the last year, each time adding more warehouses and office space because of  increased business brought in from Marcellus Shale development.  Besides having the opportunity to grow their business physically, they have also provided the Canonsburg, Pennsylvania area with more jobs throughout this economic downturn.

Aquatech broke ground earlier this year on a 35,000 – 40,000 square feet expansion; a project that will allow them to better handle the growing Marcellus Shale industry.

Our integrated water services business is continuing to grow as well as the shale gas (water treatment) business in the Marcellus and other shale areas around the U.S. Aquatech, which has more than 200 people working at the Canonsburg headquarters, will have more than 250 employees at the site when the expansion is completed –  President and Chief Executive Officer Venkee Sharma.

Since operating in the area for 30 years, Aquatech refers to Canonsburg Pennsylvania as their world headquarters. It’s safe to say that these jobs will be around for a long time based on Aquatech’s invested interest in the region and that’s great news for southwestern Pennsylvania as well as everyone else, not to mention the environment.