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New Study Predicts Frack Fluids Can Migrate to Aquifers Within Years - ProPublica
http://www.propublica.org/article/new-study-predicts-frack-fluids-can-migrate-to-aquifers-within-yearsA new study has raised fresh concerns about the safety of gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale, concluding that fracking chemicals injected into the ground could migrate toward drinking water supplies far more quickly than experts have previously predicted.
More than 5,000 wells were drilled in the Marcellus between mid-2009 and mid-2010, according to the study, which was published in the journal Ground Water two weeks ago. Operators inject up to 4 million gallons of fluid, under more than 10,000 pounds of pressure, to drill and frack each well.
Scientists have theorized that impermeable layers of rock would keep the fluid, which contains benzene and other dangerous chemicals, safely locked nearly a mile below water supplies. This view of the earth's underground geology is a cornerstone of the industry's argument that fracking poses minimal threats to the environment.
But the study, using computer modeling, concluded that natural faults and fractures in the Marcellus, exacerbated by the effects of fracking itself, could allow chemicals to reach the surface in as little as "just a few years."
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New Study Predicts Frack Fluids Can Migrate to Aquifers Within Years - ProPublica (Original Post)
Bill USA
May 2012
OP
Arctic Dave
(13,812 posts)1. Makes sense, fracking chemicals act as a penetrant. Just like WD-40.
Reduce the surface tension and you have much faster migration.
valerief
(53,235 posts)2. Not to mention all the earthquakes it causes. nt
leftyohiolib
(5,917 posts)3. arrogance and greed
ellisonz
(27,711 posts)4. Fracking is foolish. n/t
Uncle Joe
(58,506 posts)5. Kicked and recommended.
Thanks for the thread, Bill USA.
hue
(4,949 posts)6. K&R!! n/t