The Oneida Valley Reservoir serves as the municipal water source for over 35,000 people in Butler County, Pennsylvania. It serves residents in Butler city, Butler Township, Center Township, Connoquenessing Township, Franklin Township, Summit Township, and Penn Township, as well as Evans City borough. There are numerous streams which empty either directly into the reservoir or upstream into the Connoquenessing Creek. The water treatment plant located on PA Route 38 is downstream of the reservoir, and several streams empty into the Connoquenessing between the reservoir and the plant. In addition, there is heavy gas drilling-related truck traffic, mostly tankers hauling fracking fluid, travelling along Route 38, which is directly beside the reservoir, creating the risk of spills caused by accidents on a historically treacherous road.

On July 27, 2014, EM Energy (EdgeMarc) began drilling the first of six unconventional (fracking) Marcellus Shale gas wells 1.02 miles away, and uphill from, the Oneida Valley Reservoir. The same well pad sits .23 miles from a stream the drains into the Connoquenessing Creek, just below the dam but upstream of the water treatmant facility. Many properties even closer to the reservoir have been leased to various companies, including EM, XTO Energy, Rex Energy, and SWEPI (Shell).

Fracking is unsafe, and there have been numerous accidents, spills, leaks, blowouts, and confirmed cases of groundwater contamination. A municipal water source should be off-limits to this type of activity. 35,000 people who see no financial benefit from the gas industry because they live in densely-populated urban or suburban areas should not have to worry about contaminated water coming from their public water line.