Aqua

Aqua is the Latin word for water. It may also refer to:

In arts and entertainment

In music

Other uses in arts and entertainment

Buildings

Restaurants

Other uses

Hydraulic fracturing

Hydraulic fracturing (also hydrofracturing, hydrofracking, fracking, or fraccing) is a well-stimulation technique in which rock is fractured by a pressurized liquid. The process involves the high-pressure injection of 'fracking fluid' (primarily water, containing sand or other proppants suspended with the aid of thickening agents) into a wellbore to create cracks in the deep-rock formations through which natural gas, petroleum, and brine will flow more freely. When the hydraulic pressure is removed from the well, small grains of hydraulic fracturing proppants (either sand or aluminium oxide) hold the fractures open.

Hydraulic fracturing began as an experiment in 1947, and the first commercially successful application followed in 1950. As of 2012, 2.5 million "frac jobs" had been performed worldwide on oil and gas wells; over one million of those within the U.S. Such treatment is generally necessary to achieve adequate flow rates in shale gas, tight gas, tight oil, and coal seam gas wells. Some hydraulic fractures can form naturally in certain veins or dikes.

Aqua America

Aqua America is a water and wastewater utility company that serves about 3 million people in Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina, Illinois, Texas, New Jersey, Indiana and Virginia. The company provides drinking water and wastewater treatment infrastructure and services.

The company began in Pennsylvania and remains headquartered in Bryn Mawr.

History

The company began January 4, 1886 by the founding of the Springfield Water Company. The company changed its name to the Philadelphia Suburban Water Company (PSW). By 1925 the company provided water to 58 municipalities.

The company was incorporated in 1989.

The current CEO, Christopher H. Franklin, took his position in 2015.

The company partners with Penn Virginia operating subsidiaries to provide water to hydraulic fracturing operations in the Marcellus Shale formation. The company commits to transitioning its Pennsylvania vehicle fleet to compressed natural gas (CNG) within five years.

Acquisitions

In the United States, many water utilities remain publicly owned. Water was supplied by 55,000 separate water systems in 2006. However, US and global companies have business models which involve the privatization of utilities to achieve profitability from economy of scale. Additionally, cash-strapped municipalities see benefit to selling their water supply assets.

Marcellus Formation

Marcellus Formation (also classified as the Marcellus Subgroup of the Hamilton Group, Marcellus Member of the Romney Formation, or simply the Marcellus Shale) is a Middle Devonian age unit of marine sedimentary rock found in eastern North America. Named for a distinctive outcrop near the village of Marcellus, New York, in the United States, it extends throughout much of the Appalachian Basin. The shale contains largely untapped natural gas reserves, and its proximity to the high-demand markets along the East Coast of the United States makes it an attractive target for energy development and export.

Stratigraphically, the Marcellus is the lowest unit of the Devonian age Hamilton Group, and is divided into several sub-units. Although black shale is the dominant lithology, it also contains lighter shales and interbedded limestone layers due to sea level variation during its deposition almost 400 million years ago. The black shale was deposited in relatively deep water devoid of oxygen, and is only sparsely fossiliferous. Most fossils are contained in the limestone members, and the fossil record in these layers provides important paleontological insights on faunal turnovers. The black shales also contain iron ore that was used in the early economic development of the region, and uranium and pyrite which are environmental hazards. The fissile shales are also easily eroded, presenting additional civil and environmental engineering challenges.

Jersey Shore

The Jersey Shore is the coastal region of the state of New Jersey. Geographically, the term encompasses about 141 miles (227 km) of oceanfront from New Brunswick in the north to Cape May Point in the south. The Jersey Shore area includes Middlesex County, Monmouth County, Atlantic County, Cape May County, and Ocean County. While there is no defined border between North Jersey and South Jersey, the Raritan River, Manasquan River or Interstate 195 are often mentioned as the border, with most of the shore region being located in South Jersey.

To many New Jersey residents, it is simply referred to as "The Shore." A commonly-said phrase within New Jersey is to go "down the shore", or to have done something "down the shore".

Famous for its many boardwalks with arcades, water parks, and amusement parks boasting hundreds of rides and attractions, the Jersey Shore is a popular vacation spot for New Jerseyans, New Yorkers, and Pennsylvanians, and various other states in the Northeastern United States. Certain communities are also popular with visitors from the nearby Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario.