EPA on fracking: No 'widespread' impact on water

Link: Overview: EPA's Draft Assessment of the Potential Impacts of Hydrau...

EPA’s assessment concludes that there are above and below ground mechanisms by which hydraulic fracturing activities have the potential to impact drinking water resources. These mechanisms include water withdrawals in times of, or in areas with, low water availability; spills of hydraulic fracturing fluids and produced water; fracturing directly into underground drinking water resources; below ground migration of liquids and gases, and inadequate treatment and discharge of wastewater. 

EPA did not find evidence that these mechanisms have led to widespread, systemic impacts on drinking water resources in the United States. Of the potential mechanisms identified in this report, we found specific instances where one or more mechanisms led to impacts on drinking water resources, including contamination of drinking water wells. The number of identified cases was small compared to the number of hydraulically fractured wells.

The entire EPA Press Release

WASHINGTON—The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is releasing a draft assessment today on the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing activities on drinking water resources in the United States. The assessment, done at the request of Congress, shows that while hydraulic fracturing activities in the U.S. are carried out in a way that have not led to widespread, systemic impacts on drinking water resources, there are potential vulnerabilities in the water lifecycle that could impact drinking water. The assessment follows the water used for hydraulic fracturing from water acquisition, chemical mixing at the well pad site, well injection of fracking fluids, the collection of hydraulic fracturing wastewater (including flowback and produced water), and wastewater treatment and disposal [http://www2.epa.gov/hfstudy/hydraulic-fracturing-water-cycle]. 

“EPA’s draft assessment will give state regulators, tribes and local communities and industry around the country a critical resource to identify how best to protect public health and their drinking water resources,” said Dr. Thomas A. Burke, EPA’s Science Advisor and Deputy Assistant Administrator of EPA’s Office of Research and Development. “It is the most complete compilation of scientific data to date, including over 950 sources of information, published papers, numerous technical reports, information from stakeholders and peer-reviewed EPA scientific reports.” 

EPA’s review of data sources available to the agency found specific instances where well integrity and waste water management related to hydraulic fracturing activities impacted drinking water resources, but they were small compared to the large number of hydraulically fractured wells across the country. The report provides valuable information about potential vulnerabilities, some of which are not unique to hydraulic fracturing, to drinking water resources, but was not designed to be a list of documented impacts. 

These vulnerabilities to drinking water resources include: 

water withdrawals in areas with low water availability;

hydraulic fracturing conducted directly into formations containing drinking water resources;

inadequately cased or cemented wells resulting in below ground migration of gases and liquids;

inadequately treated wastewater discharged into drinking water resources;

and spills of hydraulic fluids and hydraulic fracturing wastewater, including flowback and produced water.

Also released today were nine peer-reviewed EPA scientific reports (www.epa.gov/hfstudy). These reports were a part of EPA’s overall hydraulic fracturing drinking water study and contributed to the findings outlined in the draft assessment. Over 20 peer-reviewed articles or reports were published as part of this study [http://www2.epa.gov/hfstudy/published-scientific-papers]. 

States play a primary role in regulating most natural gas and oil development. EPA’s authority is limited by statutory or regulatory exemptions under the Clean Water Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. Where EPA’s exemptions exist, states may have authority to regulate unconventional oil and gas extraction activities under their own state laws. 

EPA’s draft assessment benefited from extensive stakeholder engagement conducted across the country with states, tribes, industry, non-governmental organizations, the scientific community and the public to ensure that the draft assessment reflects current practices in hydraulic fracturing and utilizes all data and information available to the agency. 

The study will be finalized after review by the Science Advisory Board and public review and comment. The Federal Register Notice with information on the SAB review and how to comment on the draft assessment will be published on Friday June 5, 2015.

Read more: 

Assessment of the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing for Oil...

Review of Well Operator Files for Hydraulically Fractured Oil and G...

Wall Street Journal

Politico

New York Times

Bloomberg

 

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by RGV AG on June 5, 2015 at 4:25

I would bet you are 100% correct.  Dealing with US agencies I have seen adulteration of policy a few times by bureaucrats.  As they are the ones that do the grunt work, the politician has already moved on to the next cause du jour and does no follow up. 

To me this is the danger with the large and bloated federal agencies. 

Permalink Reply by Gary Joseph Anselmo on June 5, 2015 at 4:06

http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/29714-internal-documents-reveal-...

I know some would very much want to think otherwise. There are also those who know damned well the bottom line but are very misleading. There is influence by the industry on EPA and internal documents prove it. One of the big players in the influence is everyone's favorite, CHK.

Permalink Reply by Francis Mayo on June 5, 2015 at 6:34

Thanks for the link, pretty eye opening. Most people are conditioned to think of the EPA as an enemy of the industry. It does not surprise me in the least there is the amount of collusion present. Just look what happened to our recently defeated US Senator. That tells you where her bread was buttered. Same goes for all of them. I am sure our governor will be cared for after he has finished his state business. 

Permalink Reply by essay on June 5, 2015 at 10:08

all the more reason for the EPA to be completely un-involved with what the previous political hack in charge Richard Windsor, er I mean, Lisa jackson, said years ago that the states were doing a good job of regulating already.  and had been doing so for decades, not that she wanted to admit so much.  anyway i bet she's super happy and right at home with her current job of environmental director for Apple, a place where she can really make a difference for the Erf.

it's more than a little humorous, fracking was old hat, a complete non-issue until it became obvious that it was going to spur a renaissance in domestic hydrocarbon production, at which point the pixie dust and unicorn fart crowd came out of the woodwork right on cue screaming bloody murder about how we should think of the Erf, after all its the only Erf we gots!  and what about the chilrens, if global warming doesn't kill us all, passing down a perfidiously poisoned planet with no potable water to be procured at any price will surely do the trick!

oh the humanity, Francis!  whatever shall we do?

Permalink Reply by Francis Mayo on June 5, 2015 at 10:35

Great to have your thoughts, Essay. Perhaps the thread can resurrect Sesport. Maybe it will with more mention of the erf and possible global warming/climate change/disruption and great threat to global security. We all know it is happening so let us just trade our carbon credits like Smokey Burgess and Willie McCovey trading cards. Let us go ahead and do it for The Children. After all, they are the frackers and crackers of tomorrow. 

Permalink Reply by essay on June 5, 2015 at 11:14

heaven forfend, such a raucous resurrection of the premier purveyor of perverse progressive punchlines could only be wished for by the most supine of supercilious soothsayers.

all i know is, i said her name three times last week on the way to the city dump (or was it the bank?  my memory isn't what it used to be) and caught an oh so brief glimpse of her in the rear view mirror.  that being said, twas a most instructive series of interactions for this poor rube, who thought that rhyme and reason would carry any weight whatsoever.

i do hope all is well up on that high fence.

Permalink Reply by William C. Morrison on June 12, 2015 at 3:51

The anti frackers at Denton, TX are fit to be tied.  They continue to protest and recently were arrested for trespassing.  Fracking is a dead issue in Texas now.  Cities can not regulate it anymore as state law trumps local county and city law in Texas.  Denton is in the process of rescinding their anti fracking regulations, at least are not enforcing the those rules and admit that they would lose any case law situation regarding enforcement of same.

As for T. Boone Pickens being a future EPA commissioner, I think that is silly thinking.  Mr. Pickens is a billionaire and would not waste his time in the political arena.  He was a big time wind man until the price of natural gas fell through the floor.  He simply put it in cash terms, wind cost to dam much compared to the price of natural gas.

Permalink Reply by Doulos Christou on June 23, 2015 at 7:27

All I know is this - I went to Midland, Texas for a short business trip and stayed overnight. I never saw so many wells ! The hotel clerk offered me bottled water and when I refused, suggested strongly I take some to the room. I again said "thanks but no thanks".

Went to the room, did my usual stuff, slugged down some tap water and hit the sack. Thought the water tasted a little funny but nothing worse than when the lake levels are down during the summer. However - it had kind of a "chemical" taste - can't describe it. Woke up about midnight with the most screaming headache I ever had - and I usually don't get them. Took a handful of aspirin with some bottled water I already had and the headache subsided enough to fall asleep about the time I needed to get up.

Talked to the desk manager the next morning - she said that's why they offer the bottled water because previous guests have complained of headaches and stomach trouble also  - and that they have an unwritten policy of not drinking the tap water. A lot of the locals firmly believe that all the well drilling and chemicals being poured into the ground, something has been done to the water. This never has happened to me before, and I travel the country quite a bit - but never to Midland before.

As a mineral owner, I'm glad for my wells and like to see them being drilled. But this experience has me thinking if there's not something to all the outcry about fracking doing something to the drinking water.

Permalink Reply by Skip Peel - Mineral Consultant on June 23, 2015 at 8:25

I don't drink the tap water in Shreveport.  Not because there is any pollution from oil and gas exploration and production but because of the chemicals that are used in the treatment of the city water.  Those chemicals are required to meet EPA standards for safe municipal water supplies but they don't taste great particularly in the summer season when higher concentrations are used because the lake turns over.  There are numerous reasons more plausible for the taste of treated municipal water than oil and gas related activities.

Permalink Reply by Skip Peel - Mineral Consultant on June 23, 2015 at 8:50

As of the end of May 2015 there are 2447 producing Haynesville Shale wells scattered over 7 Louisiana parishes (counties) all of which have fresh water aquifers with numerous users of well water.  If there was a contamination problem associated with those wells it would have been evident five years ago.

Permalink Reply by William C. Morrison on June 23, 2015 at 9:07

Water out in west Texas has all kinds of naturally occurring stuff in it.  One is Floride, the same stuff we add to our municipal water supplies to reduce cavities in our teeth.  Except they have so much of it that it turns their teeth brown, discolored.  But they have very few cavities due to the natural process.

There are so many oil wells out in Midland/Odessa, don't you think some of that stuff perculates up into the aquifers naturally.  Southwest Louisiana used to have natural gas appear in their water supplies for the same reason. 

Permalink Reply by essay on June 24, 2015 at 21:26

my home is surrounded by horizontal wells and our water quality is actually much  higher now that our tiny municipality has enough money to buy new equipment and maintain the system properly.

ergo, my anecdotal experience is directly opposite to your own.  funny how that works.

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