fracking: what you need to know

Recent news coverage has drawn atten-tion to “fracking” and its many impacts. As a national leader on this issue active in more than a dozen states, Clean Water Action has developed special expertise on the risks and concerns associated with fracking.

So what exactly is fracking? It is a method of extracting under-ground natural gas and oil. Water mixed with sand and chemicals is injected into the ground at high pressure to fracture the rock around wells drilled for this purpose. The process releases the gas or oil, which is then pumped out. Fracking for oil and gas has been used for many years, but new technology now supports wells that reach as far as a mile underground. While drilling at this depth may allow companies to reach new deposits of oil and gas, it also greatly increases the risk of local water supply con-tamination in the process. Fracking presents a host of dangerous environmental and public health threats, including:

Each fracking site requires 2-4 million gallons of fresh water. The demand would place additional heavy burdens on Flori-da’s communities and economy.

•  A number of toxins, often including diesel fuel, benzene and pesticides, are added to water before it is injected into the earth. Few formal studies have been conducted to assess the impacts of to drinking water of potential contamination.
• The wells require exceptionally large well pads — up to 5 acres each — and a series of roads and pipelines to connect them. These pads, roads and pipelines encroach upon pristine habitats, damaging streams and fragmenting Florida’s native habitat.

Each fracking site produces a million or more gallons of heav-ily polluted water (six to ten times saltier than the ocean) which comes back to the surface and must be properly treated and dis-posed of. Treatment is dangerous and costly.

Clean Water Action members need to stay informed and engaged on this critical issue. Already, communities across America are being divided on the issue of fracking. The oil and gas companies continue to create hype about the number of jobs created at fracking sites and other possible local economic benefits. How-ever, many more residents are speaking out against the harmful practice, making it clear that most communities value clean and safe water over more drilling and fracking.