Natural Gas Fracking: What is Hydrofracking and why should you care?

Hydrofracking, also known as hydraulic fracturing, fracking, frac'ing, or fraccing, is a new way to get natural gas from shale rock.

I recently watched the movie "Gasland", and frankly I was shocked and terrified. I've done some research since then, and here I present some facts about the subject. As always, I will do my best to avoid fearmongering and to deal in solid facts backed up by strong evidence.

Geologists have long known that shale contains natural gas, but traditional drilling methods have not been able to get to the gas. In the past decade, however, a combination of higher natural gas prices, new technologies (fracking and horizontal drilling) and a lack of regulation has allowed gas companies to extract gas from the shale profitably.

Conventional drilling methods can only remove pooled reservoirs of natural gas and oil. There is a great deal of natural gas trapped in shale rock - and this gas has been unavailable, until now. Hydrofracking breaks up the shale, allowing the gas to escape.

First, as in any gas drilling operation, the vertical well is dug. A vertical well may be all that is needed, but in many cases, the well is turned horizontal once it enters the shale layer. This allows more surface area to be exposed, giving the gas more places to seep into the well.

Once the well is drilled, mini explosives are set off in the shale to create preliminary fractures. A mixture of water, chemicals, and proppants are then pumped into the well at a high pressure. Up to 7 million gallons of water can be used for one frac. The chemicals are added for a variety of reasons - to prevent corrosion of the well casing, to change the water viscosity, etc. The proppant is made up of small particles of sand or other material that will remain in the fractures after the water is pumped out, to hold the fractures open and allow the gas to escape.

The industry wil tell you that fracking is completely safe, but when you dig a little deeper and look into the research and reports that they share with each other (but not with the general public), you'll see that they know quite well what's going on:

"The reasons for more precautions are simple: Horizontal drilling and multi-stage fracing can be disruptive to communities, and accidents have increased as drilling ramps up." -From the report FRAC ATTACK: RISKS, HYPE, AND FINANCIAL REALITY OF HYDRAULIC FRACTURING IN THE SHALE PLAYS.

That report is very well done, by the way. The writers tell it like it is and list the facts about hydrofracking very clearly and honestly, from the industry perspective.

So what are the problems with fracking?

Sourcing:

As I mentioned, it can take up to 7 million gallons of water to do one frac job. A single well can be fracked multiple times. To put that amount in perspective: the average American family uses between 30,000 to 40,000 gallons of water in a year. An Olympic size swimming pool contains 600,000 gallons of water.

Disposal:

Once the well has been frac'ed, the water has to go somewhere. The problem is, it contains a host of chemicals, many of which are deadly toxic. So where do you put 7 million gallons of polluted water? And how do you make sure it stays put, forever?

Contaminated drinking water:

There have been many documented cases of drinking wells being contaminated after hydraulic fracturing operations in the area. It is difficult to pin the contamination directly on fracking, but there are a variety of ways that chemicals and natural gas could come into contact with groundwater. My opinion is that most of this contamination occurs when the drillers try to cut costs and don't properly encase their wells to protect the aquifers. This is a result of the boom in hydrofracking and the lack of consistent oversight and regulation.

Natural gas is supposed to be a cleaner burning fuel than Coal or petroleum, and this was supposed to save us from global warming. But there's a catch: this type of drilling is so energy intensive it has a bigger carbon footprint than coal. A huge amount of water, chemicals, proppants, and equipment must be transported onto the site - all of which is done by gas burning semi trucks.  

Air quality can be affected by fracking operations, whether from the massive quantity of heavy rig traffic required or from natural gas, fracking chemicals, and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) escaping from storage onsite.

Communities (human and animal) can be disrupted by the noise, light, and constant activity at a frac site, which can be active 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Habitat fragmentation is created by the drilling pads and roads.

Safety issues - as with any industrial project there is a potential for accidents, from chemical spills to well blowouts. 

Study the map above.  If you think that fracking might be coming to your home, pay close attention.  Hydrofracking can be very dangerous to people who live nearby.

Unfortunately, it probably won't be going away anytime soon.  The fact is, we need natural gas to provide heat and power - until we find cleaner, renewable energy sources.

While personally I am completely opposed to the process because of the many environmental impacts, I retain some hope that it can be done in a (relatively) responsible and safe manner - IF IT IS PROPERLY REGULATED AND OVERSEEN!  Currently, hydrofracking is exempt from major federal laws that protect our clean water:  the Safe Water Drinking Act, The Clean Water Act, and the Clean Air Act.  This means that regulation varies from state to state.  In many places, it may be possible to hydrofrack with no more regulation than you would need for a traditional gas well.

Don't let yourself be fracked over!