Methane Contamination of Drinking Water Accompanying Gas-Well Drilling and Hydraulic Fracturing

June 29th, 2011

Via: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences:

Directional drilling and hydraulic-fracturing technologies are dramatically increasing natural-gas extraction. In aquifers overlying the Marcellus and Utica shale formations of northeastern Pennsylvania and upstate New York, we document systematic evidence for methane contamination of drinking water associated with shale-gas extraction. In active gas-extraction areas (one or more gas wells within 1 km), average and maximum methane concentrations in drinking-water wells increased with proximity to the nearest gas well and were 19.2 and 64 mg CH4 L-1 (n = 26), a potential explosion hazard…

Research Credit: MakhnosGhost

Posted in Economy, Energy, Environment, Health | Top Of Page

4 Responses to “Methane Contamination of Drinking Water Accompanying Gas-Well Drilling and Hydraulic Fracturing”

  1. jovialgeorge says:
    June 29, 2011 at 10:10 pm

    I work at a newspaper in Pennsylvania, and we do alot of stories on this subject. Look here:
    http://www.timesleader.com/news/hottopics/shale

    Here is a link to a database I created that allows you to search who owns the leases that various gas companies in the area operating within:

    http://www.timesleader.com/gaslease

  2. Dennis says:
    June 30, 2011 at 12:14 am

    Australia, sometimes referred to as ‘Little America’, has joined the party:

    http://www.smh.com.au/environment/water-issues/mine-threatens-city-water-20100923-15osh.html

    http://www.smh.com.au/environment/toxins-found-at-third-site-as-fracking-fears-build-20101118-17zfv.html

  3. jburke6000 says:
    June 30, 2011 at 3:40 am

    Hey,jovialgeorge,
    I’m moving home to Eastern, PA in the next couple of months, probably back to the Lehigh Valley area. It’s my understanding that most of this is only North of the Blue Mt. line and North and West of Berks County. Is that true? Is there a site with a map of the affected areas that you know of? Any help is appreciated. I will be checking the Times Leader for articles in the future. Despite this crap, I am looking forward to returning home to the Mtns. of PA.

  4. jovialgeorge says:
    June 30, 2011 at 3:43 pm

    I was thinking of making a google map that would put pins up of where the leases are located…I will ask the online guy if he thinks we want it. It would be really cool. To answer your question though, I don’t really know where most of these are located. Al I really know is that all my data is Luzerne County.

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