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.
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.
ReplyDeleteI 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.
ReplyDeleteI hope my fellow residents in North Central Texas see this.
ReplyDelete