Hydraulic fracturing - Issues and impacts The process of fracturing a well is far from benign. The following sections provide an overview of some of the issues and impacts related to this well stimulation technique. Water use Sand and proppants Toxic chemicals Health concerns Surface water and soil contamination Groundwater contamination Air quality Waste disposal Chemical disclosure Water Use: In 2010, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimated that 70 to 140 billion gallons of water are used to fracture 35,000 wells in the United States each year. This is approximately the annual water consumption of 40 to 80 cities each with a population of 50,000. Fracture treatments in coalbed methane wells use from 50,000 to 350,000 gallons of water per well, while deeper horizontal shale wells can use anywhere from 2 to 10 million gallons of water to fracture a single well. The extraction of so much water for fracking has raised concerns about the ecological impacts to aquatic resources, as well as dewatering of drinking water aquifers. It has been estimated that the transportation of a million gallons of water (fresh or waste water) requires 200 truck trips. Thus, not only does water used for hydraulic fracturing deplete fresh water supplies and impact aquatic habitat, the transportation of so much water also creates localized air quality, safety and road repair issues. THIS IS A JOKE BELOW A RELIEF IN HUMOR TO A SERIOUS PROBLEM WE ARE HAVING IN CALIFORNIA See more at: earthworksaction.org/issues/detail/hydraulic_fracturing_101#.Ux_12l5RZqohttps://causes/posts/901206?utm_campaign=WE1435_3323&utm_medium=email&utm_source=causes&ctag=6d13af47d22a6c3587b009bedd1b262049&ctoken=FXVKVqynv2f7NiVmifv6L32ObGatpQrS92SetBpQ9gROX-_0bjcyVD2JRA_1AKEFzzpjXyEDnFCLIIVjG85zDnDBzLMHLDu-&uid=100134597
Posted on: Wed, 12 Mar 2014 05:54:02 +0000
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