JACKSON TWP — The issue of water for MarkWest Energy may be settled soon.

An enclosure is planned for nearby Goehring Pond which MarkWest, a natural gas gathering, processing and transportation company, will use as a local water supply.

The company has a facility on Hartmann Road in Evans City.

The plans will be considered for approval at Thursday’s supervisors meeting.

The shelter enclosure and subsequent pump replacement for the pond would cost between $80,000 and $100,000, township manager Chris Rearick said.

“They (MarkWest) have agreed that those improvements will be reviewed and the value will be approved by the township engineer and be posted as bonding,” township manager Chris Rearick said at Monday’s township supervisors workshop meeting.

This comes after concerns were raised from township planning commission members, supervisors and firefighters regarding MarkWest request to supply its own water rather than use a dry hydrant installed previously by the pond.

Usage of the hydrant was agreed upon by the township and Keystone Midstream, the company that preceded MarkWest, at the recommendation of the former Harmony Volunteer Fire Department.

Fire officials recently said the better option for water would be to extend a water line to tanks on MarkWest’s property.

The dry hydrant at Goehring Pond is no longer operational. Rearick said MarkWest will have to replace it with a pump.

If approved, MarkWest would have two years to build the enclosure. However, if public water is available within 18 months, MarkWest will be relieved of building the enclosure.

Construction of a public water line extension has been discussed for Swain Hill between the township and property owner Vogel Disposal Service.

“We’re waiting on numbers from Pennsylvania-American (Water Company),” Rearick said.

The project was given preliminary approval previously. However, the water issue has prevented final approval for the company’s Bluestone de-ethanizer facility.

The facility has more than 2 million gallons of water in tanks in the facility’s rail yard and planned to install hydrants on Hartmann Road, special projects manager Rob McHale said previously.

MarkWest was unavailable for comment.

Supervisors Chairman Trent Geis said the township is trying to accommodate neighboring residents in working with MarkWest’s construction.

“We need to really specify hours of operation,” Geis said. “No Sunday construction, no night work, none of that. I don’t want the residents to complain.”

Rearick said there are other concerns with MarkWest’s plans regarding lighting and planting of trees. MarkWest will post a $36,000 contribution to the township in lieu of planting trees in some parts of the surrounding area as a waiver, Rearick said.