Fracking: what impact on water?

Duke: Fracking has not contaminated groundwater in northwestern West Virginia, but accidental spills of fracking wastewater may pose a threat to surface water in the region, according to a new study led by scientists at Duke University. “Based on consistent evidence from comprehensive testing, we found no indication of groundwater contamination over the three-year course of our study,” said Avner Vengosh, professor of geochemistry and water quality at Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment. ”However, we did find that spill water associated with fracked wells and their wastewater has an impact on the quality of streams in areas of intense shale gas development.”
“The bottom-line assessment,” he said, “is that groundwater is so far not being impacted, but surface water is more readily contaminated because of the frequency of spills.”

Investigating the Health Impact of Fracking

Yale: Elise Elliott, a fifth year doctoral student in Public Health, is conducting research on the front lines of the debate over the health effects of fracking. Fracking (aka hydraulic fracturing or “unconventional natural gas development”) involves drilling wells horizontally into rock formations miles underground and pumping millions of gallons of water and chemicals under high pressure to break open the rock and release oil or natural gas. Fracking is now commonly used in the United States and has significantly boosted domestic natural gas production and driven down gas prices. Unfortunately, information on whether the process contaminates water or air in nearby communities remains limited, explained Nicole Deziel, assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences and Elliott’s advisor.