Hydraulic Fracturing for Oil and Gas Report Released
- December 16, 2016
- 0 comments
- Bob Krell
- Posted in Environmental
EPA is announcing the availability of the final report, “Hydraulic Fracturing for Oil and Gas: Impacts from the Hydraulic Fracturing Water Cycle on Drinking Water Resources in the United States.”
Abstract
Providing a review and synthesis of available scientific information, the final report examines the relationship between drinking water resources and hydraulic fracturing actions in the United States of America.
The report is organized around the stages of hydraulic fracturing water cycle which include:
- Water Acquisition: acquiring the water to be used for hydraulic fracturing
- Chemical Mixing: the mixing of the chemical additives into the water to prepare the hydraulic fracturing fluids.
- Well Injection: the injection of the hydraulic fracturing fluids into the production well to create the fractures.
- Produced Water Handling: the collection of the wastewater that returns post well injection
- Wastewater Disposal and Reuse: the management of the wastewater, either by disposal or reuse method.
Evidence was found by the EPA that the hydraulic fracturing activities can have an effect on drinking water resources in some cases. The report goes on to state specific conditions in which hydraulic fracturing activities can create more common or severe impacts.
These can include:
- Water acquisition occurs in times or areas of low water availability. There is more likely to be an impact in areas of declining or limited groundwater resources;
- When the handling of hydraulic fracturing chemicals and fluids or the wastewater spills into groundwater resources;
- Well injection of the hydraulic fracturing fluids into wells without the required mechanical integrity, enabling liquids or gasses to move to groundwater resources;
- The release of ineffectively treated wastewater into the surface water; and
- Contamination of the groundwater resources by the disposal of the hydraulic fracturing wastewater into unlined pits.