How is Marcellus Shale development different than previous gas drilling?
Gone are the days when companies could drill a few wells seemingly overnight without causing much of a disturbance. Due to the depth of the gas formation and the new technologies involved, Marcellus Shale development is much more industrialized, time-intensive, and labor-intensive. Previous wells could be drilled in process similar to drilling a water well: drilling could be completed in a few days by just a few workers with a truck-mounted drilling rig, and after the drilling was done, the process was complete. In comparison, Marcellus Shale drilling sites resemble a small construction site: very large drilling rigs are assembled on site with cranes, while office buildings, huge water reservoirs, and other equipment is often placed on site. The drilling process itself can take two weeks or sometimes much longer, and then the rig and equipment is disassembled and replaced by the hydraulic fracturing crew, which in itself can take several days.
