Water Deliveries Stop For Westmoreland County Family

A drilling com­pany that deliv­ered drink­ing water to a West­more­land County fam­ily for more than three years has stopped, accord­ing to the Tribune-Review.

For more than three years, Wal­ter Sowa says a nat­ural gas com­pany told him not to drink his well water after it drilled near his West­more­land County home.

“The water was so bad, they said not to wash my hands in it or use it for any­thing,” recalled Sowa, 60, of Sewick­ley Township.

Now, accord­ing to Sowa, Atlas Energy LP is telling him the water is OK to use again — and stopped truck­ing clean water to his home for free more than two weeks ago.

“I do not want to use that (water),” Sowa said. “I don’t even let my dogs drink it.”

Brian Beg­ley, Atlas Energy’s vice pres­i­dent of investor rela­tions, said the com­pany tested the water and believes it is safe enough to consume.

“We feel like this is some­thing that has improved sub­stan­tially over time,” he said.