DEP data shows gas and oil operations damaged Pa. water supplies 209 times since 2007

Newly released records show that gas and oil extraction has damaged Pennsylvania water supplies more than 200 times since 2007.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported (http://bit.ly/1ub6Vb6 ) the information Tuesday, based on a Department of Environmental Protection spreadsheet that it obtained through a Right-to-Know Law request.

The spreadsheet lists 209 water supplies by county, municipality and the date that DEP regulators determined that activities related to gas or oil extraction contaminated or diminished the flow to a water source.

It doesn't identify the companies or the nature of the harm to the water

It was released on the same day that state Auditor General Eugene DePasquale released an audit alleging that the DEP has failed to adequately monitor well safety or provide clear and timely information to citizens about natural-gas drilling.