Fracking is depleting water supplies in America's driest areas, report shows

[Redfairen]

Source: The Guardian

America's oil and gas rush is depleting water supplies in the driest and most drought-prone areas of the country, from Texas to California, new research has found.

Of the nearly 40,000 oil and gas wells drilled since 2011, three-quarters were located in areas where water is scarce, and 55% were in areas experiencing drought, the report by the Ceres investor network found.

Fracking those wells used 97bn gallons of water, raising new concerns about unforeseen costs of America's energy rush.

"Hydraulic fracturing is increasing competitive pressures for water in some of the country's most water-stressed and drought-ridden regions," said Mindy Lubber, president of the Ceres green investors' network.



Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/feb/05/fracking-water-america-drought-oil-gas

[Politicalboi]

1. Who could have thought

"Fracking those wells used 97bn gallons of water, raising new concerns about unforeseen costs of America's energy rush."

Unforeseen REALLY!!!!! Not only does this shit pollute, now it's taking all our water. How much natural gas can one drink anyways?

[pscot]

2. Nobody could have predicted this!

[Roy Rolling]

13. and by nobody....

...we mean anybody with a functioning brain not bought by the fracking industry

[Fred Sanders]

22. Yes, who was to know that taking 95 billion gallons of water out of ground would make it....DRY?

[sakabatou]

6. No shit

[progressoid]

3. Rec!

[DeSwiss]

4. And do you know what's even worse?

[center]CAPITALISM WARPS EVERYTHING
According to a study published by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Americans waste about 40% of all food produced in the United States. It is also estimated that 70% of all fresh water consumption in the US is attributed to the agricultural production; which means that food waste alone accounts for one quarter of ALL the water consumed within the US. Furthermore, given that the average farm requires 3 kcal of fossil fuel energy to produce 1 kcal of food (before accounting for energy requirements of food processing and transportation) wasted food accounts for roughly 300 million barrels of oil per year. link[/center]


- That's what.

K&R

[center][/center]




The system isn't broken. The system is fixed.

[cui bono]

8. Thanks for that. n/t

[BelgianMadCow]

5. and yet, the UK is going full speed ahead on fracking, and the EU has set the door wide open

by not instating EU-wide regulation. Most excellent.

[arikara]

7. Fracking is a sign of total insanity within the system

Seriously. Destroying the water table and causing earthquakes?

[another_liberal]

9. Fracking for oil and gas is the worst energy technology since nuclear power plants . . .

. . . and maybe the worst ever. It should have been stopped years ago.

[RC]

16. But on the other hand, if we had more nuclear power plants, there'd be less excuse for fracking.

Yeah, but instead of nuclear, lets just increase coal burning. That power has to come from somewhere. Wind and solar are not up to the job.
Why? Because they can't produce enough power to replace themselves, let alone power the country. You still need other power sources to make wind generators and the various solar power equipment. They can only help some.

[another_liberal]

18. If what you suggest is true . . .

Humanity is simply doomed. Nuclear is not, and never will be, the answer.

I'll take my chances with green technology. Then, even if we fail, there will still be life of some kind on our planet.

[freshwest]

10. We've reached Terminal Stupidity Level. Humanity must not be permitted to leave this planet.

(signed)

Regretfully,

The Universe.

[vkkv]

11. Nestle's and Cal-Am are loving it!

We LOVE fracking!!

[livingonearth]

12. Correct me if I'm wrong,

but I'm pretty sure the water depletion caused by fracking is permanent. They basically destroy the water with chemicals and then inject it into deep holding wells where it supposedly can't get into the aquifer. This water is essentially taken out of the ecosystem and can not be allowed to enter into a natural purifying cycle.

[Ezlivin]

14. Peak Oil

While the oil industry likes to point to data showing that they are extracting a record amount of petroleum, the rush to drill everywhere is a result of the fact that it's a finite, diminishing resource. They've already extracted all of the easily accessible petroleum; all that remains is increasingly difficult and expensive to extricate.

This is an ideal time to switch to green energy. Unfortunately we lack sufficient political will to undertake this necessary step.

[livingonearth]

15. You're exactly right.

It is my understanding that a lot of fracking takes place in wells that have either slowed down or gone dry. They fracture the rock in order to get the well going again. It's kind of like rising out the shampoo bottle to get one more use.

[EC]

17. Well, duh

and then there are the cooling ponds also polluting water. Better start putting up better plants and quick.

[valerief]

19. As long as it's making very, very rich people richer, nothing is wrong. nt

[ancianita]

20. Thanks for this, but I think Daily Kos frames the conflicts better, with more sources and links.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/03/23/1196415/-Water-for-fracking-8-acre-feet-6-721-acre-feet-or-much-much-more

[Vashta Nerada]

21. 97 billion gallons of water???

Good god. Who approved of fracking as a viable means of extracting gas from the ground?

[durablend]

23. Kochs, Republicans, Democrats, ...

All are pretty A-OK with it.

Sucks that you have no water to drink from the tap, but like they say "You can buy bottled drinking water in the store now!"

[TeeYiYi]

24. Greedy, glenn beck worshiping, capitalist republicans...

...who don't realize that they're only pawns to the 'elite' top 3%. No irony there... 97% and 97 billion gallons.

TYY

[olddad56]

25. Motherfracking idiots.

[blkmusclmachine]

26. Now we begin to understand why the Oil/Natural Gas CO's had to get GWB to do an end-run around laws

protecting consumers. Is there no end to this fracking sh!t???

[countmyvote4real]

27. Let's poison ourselves and everything or anyone that will ultimately drink from the water supply.

Why would anyone agree to this outcome? Financial need and ignorance. Impolitic terms might describe it as "greed and stupidity," but I don't think that's fair to these desperately ignorant assholes.