Dimock Township is a township in Susquehanna County,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, United States. The population was 1,232 at the 2020 census. It is the home of former U.S. Congressman

Chris Carney Christopher P. Carney (born March 2, 1959) is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for from 2007 to 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Carney is also an associate professor of political science at Penn State Worth ...

, a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

who represented Pennsylvania's 10th congressional district from 2007 to 2011. The school building for the Elk Lake School District is located near the village of Elk Lake in the township. Dimock was the site of a much publicized incident of water contamination from hydraulic fracturing, a process used to extract natural gas from the

Marcellus Formation The Marcellus Formation or the Marcellus Shale is a Middle Devonian age unit of 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 throughou ...

. In May 2012, after the installation of water treatment systems in affected homes, methane and arsenic were found only in small amounts at one home. At that time the EPA reported that their most recent "set of sampling did not show levels of contaminants that would give EPA reason to take further action." As of 2012, natural gas companies have been permitted to resume hydraulic fracturing in the area. The EPA and various universities continue to monitor water quality.

History

Named after Elder Davis Dimock, Dimock Township was formed from parts of Springville and Bridgewater Townships in December 1832.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the township has a total area of , of which is land and (1.53%) is water.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2000, there were 1,497 people, 570 households, and 425 families residing in the township. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 51.6 people per square mile (19.9/km²). There were 723 housing units at an average density of 24.9/sq mi (9.7/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 97.3%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 0.1%

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, 0.05% American Indian, 0.05% Asian, 0.1%

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, 1.3% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

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of any race were 2% of the population. There were 570 households, out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.2% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.4% were non-families. 20.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.00. In the township the population was spread out, with 24.9% under the age of 18, 60.9% from 18 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.5 years. The median income for a household in the township was $47,159, and the median income for a family was $55,139. Males had a median income of $40,924 versus $23,958 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the township was $22,648. About 7.3% of families and 8.7% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 5.9% of those under age 18 and 12.2% of those age 65 or over.

Water contamination incident

Dimock was the site of a much publicized water contamination from hydraulic fracturing, which was shown in the 2010 documentary ''

Gasland ''Gasland'' is a 2010 American documentary film written and directed by Josh Fox. It focuses on communities in the United States where natural gas drilling activity was a concern and, specifically, on hydraulic fracturing ("fracking"), a method ...

''. In 2009, 13 water wells in Dimock, Pennsylvania were contaminated with methane, and one exploded. Arsenic, barium, DEHP, glycol compounds, manganese, phenol, and sodium were found in unacceptable levels in the wells. As a result, Cabot Oil & Gas was required to financially compensate residents and provide alternative sources of water until mitigation systems were installed in affected wells. The company continues to deny that hydraulic fracturing was involved. In May 2012, after the installation of water treatment systems in affected homes, EPA reported that their most recent "set of sampling did not show levels of contaminants that would give EPA reason to take further action." Methane and arsenic were found only in one well. Cabot has held that the methane was preexisting, but state regulators have cited chemical fingerprinting as proof that it was from Cabot's hydraulic fracturing activities. Both Duke University and University of Rochester are conducting studies of the age of the well water to confirm the sources of the various contaminants. EPA plans to re-sample four wells where previous data by the company and the state showed levels of contaminants.

References

{{authority control Townships in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania Populated places established in 1796 Townships in Pennsylvania 1796 establishments in Pennsylvania