Natural gas production in New York reached a record in 2006, driven by prolific wells in the Finger Lakes. But it is expected to begin leveling off in the coming years unless new discoveries are made, state officials told the Times Union.

New York wells pumped 55.157 billion cubic feet of natural gas, just more than last year's previous record of 55.156 billion cubic feet, the state Department of Environmental Conservation reported. The amount was enough to supply the natural gas needs of nearly 800,000 homes for a year.

Natural gas production in New York has tripled over the past decade, expanding from 18.3 billion cubic feet a year in 1996 with the discovery of the Trenton Black River reservoir. It is a 460 million year-old, resource-rich seabed formation that stretches from West Virginia to Canada and cuts through the Finger Lakes region.

More than three-quarters of the state's natural gas -- 41.8 billion cubic feet -- flowed from 84 wells in the Trenton Black River zone, according to figures reported by operators. One well alone in the formation, the Stoscheck 1 in Chemung County, produced 3.94 billion cubic feet of natural gas -- enough by itself to heat more than 57,000 homes for a year.