During a three-day enforcement blitz last week, the Pennsylvania State Police focused on trucks hauling waste water from Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling operations across the state.
From June 14 to 16, the police inspected a total of 1,137 trucks and placed 250 trucks out of service. Of the 250, 131 of those vehicles were trucks hauling waste water.

"Pennsylvania has experienced significant increases in heavy truck traffic in areas where Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling operations are taking place, particularly in Bradford, Clearfield, Susquehanna, Tioga and Washington counties," said Commissioner Frank E. Pawlowski. "The process of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, requires significant amounts of water to be delivered to the sites and later trucked away."

State troopers worked in partnership with personnel from the Department of Environmental Protection, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration as part of Operation FracNet.

Pawlowski said the enforcement effort centered on identifying commercial vehicle safety deficiencies that could lead to crashes. He said 669 traffic citations and 818 written warnings were issued as the result of waste water truck inspections. In addition, 23 of the 45 drivers placed out of service during the operation were waste water vehicle operators.

"As activities at natural gas sites continue to increase, it is important that everyone involved, including the waste transportation industry, understands Pennsylvania's environmental and traffic safety laws and complies with them," said DEP Secretary John Hanger.