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The Susquehanna River Basin Commission has proposed rule revisions it hopes will streamline the water use application process for gas well development while at the same time protecting the river basin's water resources.

The agency, which is in charge of regulating water quantity issues in the river basin region, will hold a public hearing at 7 p.m. Oct. 21 at Lycoming College to discuss the rule changes.

"As a water management agency, we work to achieve a balanced approach, which means we both protect and promote the use of the basin's water resources," commission executive director Paul Swartz said.

"We expect the demand for water from the natural gas industry to continue increasing for some time," Swartz said. "The proposed regulatory changes will allow the commission to address this increasing demand in a more orderly fashion."

Proposed changes include requiring all requests for consumptive water use to go through the commission's administrative approval procedure rather than the commission's standard consumptive water use application process.

The commission has two types of application procedures: the administrative procedure for using public water supplies and the standard consumptive use application procedure for using all other water resources such as streams, rivers, groundwater and discharges from wastewater treatment facilities.

The proposed rule will allow gas drilling companies to apply to use all types of water resources under a single application, Obleski said.

Proposed revisions also would require gas drilling companies to apply for water use on a per well pad basis rather than on a lease area basis, Obleski said. According to Obleski, under the current rule, a company could submit a single application covering numerous well pads within a leased area.

Although the agency does not regulate water quality, the proposed rule would require fluids used in hydrofracing to be treated and disposed of according to federal and state environmental agency regulations.

The new regulations also change the approval from 15 years to five years, Obleski said.

The proposed regulations also will incorporate a ruling by Swartz that all companies apply for water use permits regardless of the amount of water the company plans to use. Previously, regulations required water use permits only if a company surpassed a daily quantity threshold.

The hearing will be held at the college Academic Center, Lecture Hall Room D001.

Those planning to testify should provide prior notice, if possible, by contacting Richard Cairo, general counsel, Susquehanna River Basin Commission, 1721 N. Front St., Harrisburg PA 17102, by mail, or 717-238-0423 Ext. 306, by phone, or rcairo@srbc.net, by e-mail.

A second hearing will be at 7 p.m. Oct. 22 at Binghamton, N.Y., University, Obleski said. The commission will vote on the proposed changes on Dec. 4 at its monthly meeting in Maryland, she said.