Hydraulic Fracking for Natural Gas and our Water Resources, what are the consequences?

What are the consequences of hydraulic fracturing for natural gas on our well water sources?  The debate will continue for many years but the facts show that hydraulic fracking can have dangerous consequences on our well water supplies.  

When a water well is drilled for residential use the well may be anywhere from 60ft in depth to several hundred feet in depth, it all depends upon the water table in the area. Commonly the water from a residential well is drawn from a small pocket of water that is re-hydrated through cracks and fissures in the earth as water percolates down through the layers of earth and rock strata. Occasionally residential wells may actually tap into an extensive aquifer with a vast supply of water. The quality of water from every well can vary greatly from one well to the next, even in a neighborhood where wells may be a minimum 60ft apart.

Hydraulic Fracturing for purposes of releasing natural gas is typically done at depths far greater than any residential water well is drilled.  Fracturing wells can be over a thousand feet in the ground and past the water tables used for residential use.  Hydraulic Fracking typically incorporates water as the main source to inject in the wells to initiate the “Fracturing” to occur and help release natural gas deposits inside the shale rock deposits.  The issue with this process is several fold.

1.   It can take several “MILLION” gallons of water injected into the shale rock deposits to achieve the results expected. 

2.   Where is the water being used for fracking being drawn from?  Offsite?  Frequently it is waste water that has been captured during the fracking process. That water gets treated to help remove impurities and repurposed for injection. 

3.   There have been instances where water drawn onsite for fracking purposes has drawn the water table down to a point where residential wells have been affected. 

4.   The “Fracturing” process itself can release many unwanted gases such as methane gas.  Methane gas then travels up through the rock strata and can contaminate the water table residential water wells are drilled in.  Turning your kitchen faucet on and being able to light the water on fire is obviously very serious and potentially dangerous.

5.   The potential for well contamination depends on the vicinity of the hydraulic fracturing to the residential well.  The potential for release of unwanted gases from the fracking process.  Along with the age, condition, installation, depth and source of the residential water well.  All wells are sealed around the drop pipe to prevent migration of outside sources into the water supply, but the “fracking” process can potentially cause damage to an improperly installed well casing or well that has a casing that has been compromised allowing migration of outside material into the well. 

6.   Even if the residential water well itself has a casing that has not been compromised there is the potential of gases and byproducts released by the fracking process to enter the water supply at the water source.

Every drop of water on earth has been here since the beginning of time. It is NOT a renewable resource. We have what we have and only 1% of it is available to us as fresh water. So we need to protect it, appreciate it and not take it for granted. 

These are only my opinions and observations from reading numerous articles pro and con on the hydraulic fracturing process for natural gas. 

Good days and Good water to you!

Ray McConnell