Tainted water in Pennsylvania, Texas from leaky gas wells, not fracking itself

Samhain · Sep 16, 2014

Study: Leaky wells, not fracking, taint water - US News

WASHINGTON (AP) — The drilling procedure called fracking didn't cause much-publicized cases of tainted groundwater in areas of Pennsylvania and Texas, a new study finds. Instead, it blames the contamination on problems in pipes and seals in natural gas wells.

After looking at dozens of cases of suspected contamination, the scientists focused on eight hydraulically fractured wells in those states, where they chemically linked the tainted water to the gas wells. They then used chemical analysis to figure out when in the process of gas extraction methane leaked into groundwater.

"We found the evidence suggested that fracking was not to blame, that it was actually a well integrity issue," said Ohio State University geochemist Thomas Darrah, lead author of the study. He said those results are good news because that type of contamination problem is easier to fix and is more preventable.

Another study finding fracking isn't to blame for tainted water that will be promptly ignored.

Papa bull · Sep 16, 2014

Samhain said:
Study: Leaky wells, not fracking, taint water - US News

Another study finding fracking isn't to blame for tainted water that will be promptly ignored.

Meh. Nothing to see here. Move along. Fracking is evil and only propaganda supporting the view that it's evil is worth reading.

Fishstyx · Sep 17, 2014

This is actually pretty good news. Because the areas of concern can literally be engineered away.

TheNextEra · Sep 17, 2014

Fishstyx said:
This is actually pretty good news. Because the areas of concern can literally be engineered away.

Yes they can, however, the damage done already cannot. The one concern I see here is this statement from the OP:

The problem of leaky wells is one the gas industry has known about for decades, Darrah said. That includes the pipes the gas flow through and the cement that encases the pipes, keeping it from escaping.

So they have known about it, but have been negligent in fixing it. Not a good sign in my book there. And no, I am not against oil or gas drilling, but let's face facts that the industry is not policing itself very well.

Samhain · Sep 17, 2014

TheNextEra said:
Yes they can, however, the damage done already cannot. The one concern I see here is this statement from the OP:

So they have known about it, but have been negligent in fixing it. Not a good sign in my book there. And no, I am not against oil or gas drilling, but let's face facts that the industry is not policing itself very well.

I believe the second quote about leaky wells is that they know wells can leak, not that they've been been actively ignoring known well leaks.

The article does state, however, that given that the fracking technique realizes quick results, drillers aren't taking the appropriate time to properly install wells, thus resulting in more leaky wells then there normally should be.

TheNextEra · Sep 17, 2014

Samhain said:
I believe the second quote about leaky wells is that they know wells can leak, not that they've been been actively ignoring known well leaks.

The article does state, however, that given that the fracking technique realizes quick results, drillers aren't taking the appropriate time to properly install wells, thus resulting in more leaky wells then there normally should be.

That to me is known neglegence. Now, like I said before I am not against drilling for oil or gas. I just don't think the companies should be left to their "honor" system to fix their problems. THIS is an area that the EPA is good for if used right IMO (which it isn't right now). Not to over-regulate but to oversee and to audit safety properly and not for some political agenda.

apdst · Sep 17, 2014

TheNextEra said:
Yes they can, however, the damage done already cannot. The one concern I see here is this statement from the OP:

So they have known about it, but have been negligent in fixing it. Not a good sign in my book there. And no, I am not against oil or gas drilling, but let's face facts that the industry is not policing itself very well.

Question: Were permits to re-enter the wells applied for and if so, how many were approved? How many of those wells are on government land, where NO permits are being issued.

Drilling is a bigger bureacracy than most people think.

apdst · Sep 17, 2014

TheNextEra said:
That to me is known neglegence. Now, like I said before I am not against drilling for oil or gas. I just don't think the companies should be left to their "honor" system to fix their problems. THIS is an area that the EPA is good for if used right IMO (which it isn't right now). Not to over-regulate but to oversee and to audit safety properly and not for some political agenda.

The EPA can't do it's because it's being used as a political hammer to drive home a political agenda.