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Environment & Energy
Related: About this forumA new problem for fracking: Drillers are running out of water
Could severe water shortages short-circuit the US shale gas boom? With 64% of the country in drought, water is looming as the next hot-button issue in the debate over hydrofracturing, also known as fracking, which involves injecting chemical-laden water under high pressure to create fissures in subterranean rock formations so gas and oil can be extracted.
A comprehensive survey of fracking and water availability, due to be released Thursday, found that 47% of oil and gas wells are located in high or extremely high water-stressed areas. The report compiled by Ceres, the Boston-based nonprofit that promotes corporate sustainability, is based on water consumption information from 25,450 wells reported by drillers to a database called FracFocus between January 2011 and September 2012.
When Ceres researchers drilled down into the data by correlating the water consumption data with water stress maps created by the World Resources Institute, they found widespread water shortages in some of the USs most gas-rich states.
In Colorado, 92% of 3,862 wells were in areas designated as extremely high water stressed, meaning that 80% of the available water is already being drawn down for residential consumption or for industrial and agriculture use.
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http://qz.com/80550/water-shortages-threaten-us-shale-gas-boom/
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A new problem for fracking: Drillers are running out of water (Original Post)
n2doc
May 2013
OP
femmocrat
(28,394 posts)1. They will just confiscate peoples' wells and let them die of thirst.
The frackers will win every time.
madamesilverspurs
(15,783 posts)2. Link wonky?
It goes to a story on investments...
n2doc
(47,953 posts)3. just tried it, it works for me
The site is a biz site.
pscot
(21,023 posts)4. Gosh! Nobody could have predicted this
Maybe they can use the Great Lakes.
Champion Jack
(5,378 posts)5. Water that leaves the natural cycle forever