New York has more than 10-thousand public water systems.

That's more than any other state.

Plus, many homes use private wells.

The state's promising to put water protection above potential natural gas profit.

Exploring the Marcellus Shale Formation will require drilling as deep as 4-thousand to 7 thousand feet below the ground surface.

Public water supply wells range are only 25 to 400 feet down.

Because of this difference in depth, experts do not believe drinking water's in danger.

"The drinking water should not be impacted by this process and one of the reasons why we have a strict regulatory regime for drilling is to ensure that drinking water is not impacted," says Stuart Gruskin from The Department of Environmental Conservation.

The state will work with counties to ensure drilling does not disrupt public water well fields.

But, homeowners that lease land to companies should also take precautions.

"If they're going to have drilling on their property, they should have a proper contractual arrangement so that they can minimize the impact," says Jack Dunn from The NYS Health Department.

If homeowners suspect that their wells are polluted they can seek advice from the DEC for water testing.

The drilling itself will also require millions of gallons of water to force the gas out.

That waste water will return to the surface.

"Any disruption there and when the spin through comes up and how that will be handled, stored, and properly disposed of, that's our primary concern," says Dunn.

The Departments of Health and Environment are working together to address these concerns.

The DEC is responsible for issuing permits for gas wells, waste haulers, and water treatment plants.

"We make sure the groundwater is protected and what goes into the ground is appropriate and what comes out of the ground is appropriate and is stored and managed in the right way," says Gruskin.

Both agencies assured local leaders they're confident there won't be
any problems once drilling begins.