US EPA warns of the harmful impacts of fracking to drinking water resources

Hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, which is used to release natural gas and oil has been found to negatively impact the quality and availability of drinking water in the US, according to a report by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Fracking, used in 90% of natural gas wells in the US, is a process that involves pumping large quantities of water, sand and chemicals at high pressure deep into the Earth to fracture rock to stimulate the flow of natural gas or oil.

”This assessment is the most complete compilation to date of national scientific data on the relationship of drinking water resources and hydraulic fracturing,” said Thomas Burke, EPA science adviser. The EPA report was issued at the request of the Congress.

Based on a review of over 1,200 cited scientific sources, the final EPA report “provides scientific evidence that hydraulic fracturing activities can impact drinking water resources in the United States under some circumstances”.

The agency’s initial assessment had found no evidence that fracking could systematically harm water supplies.But the final report reversed course, and deleted that sentence.

It also “identified certain conditions under which impacts from hydraulic fracturing activities can be more frequent or severe,” including fracking in areas where water availability is low, and disposing of wastewater in unlined pits.

The report did not document specific instances of drinking water impacts. It also did not estimate how common fracking pollution of drinking water might be.

”The value of high-quality science has never been more important in helping to guide decisions around our nation’s fragile water resources,” said Burke.

”EPA’s assessment provides the scientific foundation for local decision makers, industry, and communities that are looking to protect public health and drinking water resources and make more informed decisions about hydraulic fracturing activities.”