New Study Predicts Frack Fluids Can Migrate to Aquifers Within Years

A new study published in Ground Water two weeks ago has concluded that fracking chemicals injected into the ground could reach drinking water supplies much more rapidly than previously predicted, ProPublica reports.

Scientists and experts have hypothesized that the chemicals used in fracking, such as benzene and methanol, would remain safely underground, miles below water supplies. But the study, which used computer modeling, found that the chemicals could reach the surface in as little as a few years.

‘”Simply put, [the rock layers] are not impermeable,” said the study’s author, Tom Myers, an independent hydrogeologist.’

This study is the first peer-reviewed research of its kind and it was funded by organizations that oppose fracking in the Marcellus.

EPA says water OK at 20 more wells in Dimock, Pa.

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According to AP, the Environmental Protection Agency issued a report Friday that said testing at 20 more water wells in Dimock, Pa. has shown no dangerous levels of contamination.

Methane was present in three of the newly tested wells, and one showed levels of barium well above the EPA’s maximum level. An EPA spokesman said a new treatment system installed in the well is removing the metal and fixing the problem.

EPA pulls order forcing driller to provide water

According to the Seattle Times, the Environmental Protection Agency announced Friday that it will no longer require gas drillers it had accused of contaminating private drinking water wells to provide water to two North Texas families.

The Texas Railroad Commission, which oversees oil and gas drilling, insists drilling did not cause the water contamination and that local aquifers have always been laced with naturally occurring methane.

Range Resources spokesman Matt Pitzarella said, “It’s important for people to know that their environment, health and safety is protected and hopefully this provides them with that comfort.”

Faulty wells, not fracking, blamed for water pollution

An article about fracking graced the front page of Tuesday’s edition of the Wall Street Journal. It argues that poorly constructed wells, not frackng itself, are the chief cause of water contamination.

Bradford County, Pa. is home to one of the largest documented water contamination sites. The company to blame, Chesapeake Energy Corporation, acknowledged faulty well construction may have been the cause and a state investigation confirmed when they found some wells weren’t adequately sealed.

Mark Boling, executive vice president and general counsel of Southwestern Energy Co., and Scott Anderson, a senior policy adviser with the Environmental Defense Fund, are working together to examine suspected drill-related water pollution incidents in Colorado and Pennsylvania. They, too, have found that well construction problems are the root cause of contamination.

“Every one we identified was caused by a failure of the integrity of the well, and almost always it was the cement job,” Boling said.

Anderson estimates that cement in about one in 10 wells isn’t sealed properly. When this is the case, gas slips seamlessly through the cracks and reaches the shallow aquifers that provide drinking water.

These findings are good news for the energy industry, which has been struggling to convince citizens that fracking is safe, because this risk is one that can be minimized. Still, some critics won’t budge. Maya Van Rossum, head of the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, said, “You may be able to fix one issue, but it doesn’t make the whole drilling process OK.”