STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — A diverse group — from natural gas industry representatives to environmental advocates — gathered recently to discuss the impact of gas drilling on waterways at the 2015 Shale Network conference.

The annual workshop gives scientists a chance to share what they’ve learned over the last year about the impact of Marcellus shale gas drilling on the region’s streams and rivers, and to plan the best way to monitor water quality going forward.

By Hannah Good, Emily Richmond and Valeria Soler Pelaez

RUSH TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- The boots Maria Rodriguez-Hertz wore kept out the water but not the numbing cold from Black Moshannon Creek.

Rodriguez-Hertz, a State College high school sophomore, waded into the stream along with her classmates to collect water samples and record data for the TeenShale Network.

Substances commonly used for drilling or extracting Marcellus shale gas foamed from the drinking water taps of three Pennsylvania homes near a reported well-pad leak, according an analysis from a team of scientists.

Researchers at Penn State are continuing to monitor a Pennsylvania stream where high levels of methane were observed near a reported Marcellus shale gas well leak.

Ongoing analyses of the stream, Sugar Run in Lycoming County, will be available on the Shale Network website, under the new Methane Project tab.

Scientists from Penn State and the U.S. Geological Survey recently observed elevated methane in the water using a new stream-based monitoring system.

HARRISBURG -- The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) today announced the members of the Oil and Gas Technical Advisory Board (TAB). TAB’s mission is to increase transparency and communication about regulating the unconventional oil and gas drilling industry. TAB is authorized under the 2012 Oil and Gas Act to advise DEP in the formulation, drafting, and presentation stages of all regulations relating to unconventional oil and gas extraction.

By collecting water samples and using water monitoring equipment at Black Moshannon State Park, State College Area High School students have been learning how the environment affects water quality.

Through the Teen Shale Network, the earth science high school students have been able to get involved in research on Marcellus Shale. They are working with the Earth and Environmental Systems Institute at Penn State and workers from Shale Network and the NSF-funded Susquehanna Shale Hills Critical Zone Observatory (HOTLLINK) to gather baseline data on the water quality at Black Moshannon river to understand if downstream shale gas wells have any effect. The students have made four trips to the park and will present the data at the Shale Network Conference May 8 and 9 at Penn State.

Read the students' full story on Penn State News.