Fractured Facts on Hydraulic Fracturing Fluids
July 1, 2011
A great deal of misinformation is flowing freely around the process of hydraulic fracturing, and in particular the fracturing fluids which are used to support the process. Let’s look at the facts to shut off this fluid flow of myths.
Myth: Fracking is a whole new process only being used since the Marcellus discovery.
Fact: It’s not new. The fracking process has been used in oil and gas drilling since 1949. While Marcellus drilling is much deeper than conventional wells and they use more water, the process is essentially the same.
Myth: Fracturing fluids contaminate groundwater and threaten aquifers.
Fact: In over 60 years of fracking there have been no confirmed cases of it contaminating groundwater aquifers.
Deep shale natural gas and oil formations exist many thousands of feet underground, well below the aquifers. The productive area of the Marcellus Shale is found at depths ranging from 4,000 to 8,500 feet underground; according to the U.S. Geological Survey, the base of the freshwater aquifer is about 800 feet below the land’s surface in upland settings, and only about 200 feet below land surface in valley settings. The required steel and concrete casings at the point the drilling passes through the aquifer are more than sufficient to protect the groundwater.
Spills of stored fluids at drilling sites have occurred and have contaminated streams. Srict regulations are in place to protect citizens and the environment if such a spill occurs, and companies have been and will continue to be held accountable. Again there have been no confirmed cases of contamination from the actual drilling and fracking activity.
Myth: Companies keep secret the fluids they use for hydraulic fracturing, and these fluids are loaded with dangerous chemicals.
Fact: The fluids used in hydraulic fracturing are comprised of approximately 99.5% water and sand with only 0.5% chemicals. Many of these chemicals are found in American bathrooms and kitchens, since they are used in makeup, chewing gum, food additives and pharmaceuticals. (Source: Energy in Depth).
Furthermore, companies are not keeping their hydraulic fracturing fluids a secret. On the contrary, there are multiple websites that post this information for the public to view, including:
- FracFocus (from the Groundwater Protection Council)
- Energy in Depth
It’s true that in the oil and gas industry of old, secrecy of all kinds was common. Drillers would often even keep production levels of a well secret to ward off competitors from moving in nearby a “big find”. While the individual fracking chemicals have always been generally known, the recipes used at a particular well were considered “trade secrets” (much like Grandma’s cobbler). However, this too has changed with increasing voluntary disclosure or disclosure being required more and more by State law or regulations. Fact is, in our modern internet information age, not much is secret anymore if someone really wants to know.
Myth: Hydraulic fracturing has violated numerous Safe Drinking Water Act regulations and has special interest exemptions.
Fact: The oil and natural gas industry complies with all federal and state laws for industry operations. Hydraulic fracturing has never been exempted from the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). An independent study by the Ground Water Protection Council recently determined that the state laws are effective in regulating the industry and protecting water resources. There has been some understandable confusion between hydraulic fracturing regulations and deep well injection regulations. Deep well injection is a drilling waste water disposal method and does fall under different SDWA regulations and exemptions. However, Pennsylvania’s geology is not suitable for deep well waste water injection, and it is not practiced here for Marcellus operations.
These are some of the solid facts.
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