AOP Clearwater LLC (AOPC), a recycler of water used in oil and natural gas drilling operations, will invest $12 million to locate a facility in Marion County, West Virginia, according to the West Virginia governor’s office. The company is expected to create 10 new jobs at full operations, along with a number of construction, engineering, and equipment maintenance opportunities for local subcontractors. “The current and future exploration of the Marcellus Shale by the oil and gas industry in West Virginia and throughout the Appalachian Basin requires new and responsible solutions for the water management issues created by this exploration activity,” says Louis Bonasso, president of AOPC. The Charleston Daily Mail reports that the recycling activity will involve recapturing approximately 80 percent of the water used in the operation, with the other 20 percent lost through plant consumption and evaporation. The Pennsylvania-headquartered company is expected to open the new facility in July.
