Fracking suspected in water pollution

Posted on Sep 28, 2012 in Science | 0 comments

Pollutants linked to “fracking” have been found in groundwater in Wyoming where residents say the practice has contaminated their drinking water.

The U.S. Geological Survey said traces of methane, ethane and phenol from hydraulic fracturing used in drilling for natural gas were detected in a monitoring well in the rural town of Pavillion, The Hill reported Thursday.

In December of 2011 the Environmental Protection Agency reported finding groundwater contaminants in two wells there, the first time the U.S. government had made a connection between fracking and groundwater pollution.

The USGS findings are “generally consistent” with EPA’s earlier tests, agency spokeswoman Alisha Johnson said.

But a natural gas industry group argued the USGS study didn’t match the EPA’s tests, citing a Bureau of Land Management report that the EPA’s small sample size could create statistical bias in the groundwater tests.

“Perhaps the EPA should also listen to the Bureau of Land Management, which warned months ago that the results from one of EPA’s wells couldn’t be trusted and advised the EPA to start over,” Steve Everley, a spokesman for natural gas industry group Energy in Depth, said.

Environmental groups and some Wyoming residents remain opposed to the practice, calling for a halt to fracking over its alleged impact on water supplies.

Copyright 2012 by United Press International