The Shale Crescent USA offers easy access to water for transportation and processing, via the Ohio River and its tributaries. The Ohio River begins at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers in Pittsburgh and flows for 981 miles ending in Cairo, Illinois where it flows into the Mississippi River. Forty billion gallons of water flow through easily accessible waterways daily for transportation, processing, and cooling purposes. Ohio permits nearly 500 million gallons per day of industrial water withdrawals, and the Ohio River and its tributaries connect the region’s 23 barge ports to the Gulf of Mexico, the Great Lakes, and the Atlantic Ocean. The robust river network allows for barge transport from the Shale Crescent USA region to the Gulf Coast.
