The Truth Behind Hydrualic Fracturing

The actual process of fracking involves drilling up to 10,000 feet into the earth and injecting millions of gallons of water, sand, and chemicals under high pressure in order to fracture shale formations and extract the natural gases trapped within the rocks themselves.* The enormous amounts of water used in fracking operations strains water resources and contaminates wastewater.** There are 59 different chemicals used in fracking.*** Fracking allows for oil and gas companies to extract these resources in previously inaccessible areas, such as rural areas; thus, new infrastructures involving the processing, transportation, and delivery of oil and gas brings full-scale industrialization to previously rural landscapes.** As such, improper set-up with gas wells and careless management of wastewater can lead to contamination of groundwater that can directly affect rural communities. According to ProPublica investigations, there are over 1000 cases of water contamination across seven states; some of these cases were caused by “well failures in which the concrete or steel meant to protect aquifers cracked under high pressure, causing chemicals to leak into the water supply”.**** Methane is a prime example of an extremely hazardous and flammable natural gas that commonly leaks into the water supply. In terms of frequency of leakage, it is estimated that 2% of gas wells may end up contaminating groundwater.*****