Fracking and Water Quality and Supply.

Shale gas extraction is growing rapidly in the United States and globally, developed in part through advances in technologies such as horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing (also called “fracking"). Concerns over potential environmental impacts have accompanied the boom in natural gas and oil extraction. For years our group has studied drinking water quality, asking the question, “Is water quality different for homeowners living near natural gas and oil wells compared to people living farther away?” In this talk I will answer that question for different chemical components, including stray gases, salts and metals, and organic compounds, using our work in the Marcellus, Barnett, and Fayetteville Shales and the work of others as evidence. I will also examine other aspects of water and fracking, including water supply and the fate of wastewater in the environment.