07 May 2015

Fracking chemicals detected in drinking water

An analysis of drinking water sampled from three homes in Bradford County, Pa., revealed traces of a compound commonly found in Marcellus Shale drilling fluids, according to a study published on Monday.

The paper, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, addresses a longstanding question about potential risks to underground drinking water from the drilling technique known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. The authors suggested a chain of events by which the drilling chemical ended up in a homeowner’s water supply.

“This is the first case published with a complete story showing organic compounds attributed to shale gas development found in a homeowner’s well,” said Susan Brantley, one of the study’s authors and a geoscientist from Pennsylvania State University.
You couldn't ask for the results to be in a more scientifically rigorous publication.  An industry spokesman offered the expected meaningless rebuttal:
"...saying that it provided no proof that the chemical came from a nearby well."
More at the New York Times.

3 comments:

  1. Fracking is just evil. I don't understand why Governor Brown, usually very environmentally sound, doesn't ban it. We here in California are suffering from a serious drought, and fracking pollutes water and makes it useless for consumption and agriculture. Also, it can set off earthquakes, and we have all we need of those naturally.

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  2. I attended high school in a town in Bradford County, and now live in the county just west of there. We have 4 wells within a mile of us... this is a very rural area and many of us are concerned (and have been from the start of this drilling) about the ecological and personsl health ramifications.

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  3. I hope my fellow residents in North Central Texas see this.

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