Pennsylvania: No new cases of contaminated drinking water in 2015
Monday, August 29, 2016
In the 2015 Oil and Gas Annual Report put out by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, no new cases of contaminated drinking water resulting from oil and gas operations, also called “stray gas cases,” were recorded.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette PowerSource reports that oil and gas companies have been working to reduce the number of stray gas cases. Improved well construction rules and more attention paid to seismic data before drilling has helped to decrease the number of stray gas cases.
In 2010, there were 28 stray gas cases that affected 57 water supplies in Pennsylvania. Since 2007, 281 drinking water supplies have been affected by Pennsylvania oil and gas operations. That number includes both pollution cases and instances of reduced flow to taps, according to the source.
Read more: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette PowerSource > Cases of drilling sending gas into water supplies declines in Pennsylvania
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Shale FAQ
What is fracking?
Fracking is a slang term for hydraulic fracturing. Fracturing is a process by which highly pressurized fluid is pumped thousands of feet into the ground to fracture rock formations. The goal is to release the natural gas that’s locked inside the rock.
Is it safe?
What most concerns people about fracturing is ground water contamination. The worry is that fractures underground, caused by the process, will extending upwards and into aquifers, releasing gas and chemicals into the ground water supply. There’s been no confirmed reports of such a thing happening. Though surface spills and drill site blowouts can lead to localized environmental concerns.
Will my water catch on fire?
Flammable water is caused by the release of methane gas into a drinking water supply. Methane gas occurs naturally and can be released by any kind of drilling, including water wells. In Pennsylvania officials fined Chesapeake Energy $1 million for contaminating ground water with methane. It was determined that the company had not properly cemented it’s boreholes and gas migrated up the well, between rock and into aquifers.