With the expansion of the oil sands in North America, and the desire to create a north-south pipeline from Canada to southern United States, we have been inundated with the real and asserted risks of continuing to develop the oil sands and the added risks associated with a form of technology being used called fracking, or hydraulic fracturing. It is interesting to note that most people would say this is a new technology when in fact it was first experimented on in 1947, with applicable commercial use by 1949, and by 2012, it was being used in over 2.5 million well jobs in the United States. Hydraulic fracturing is what is sounds – fracturing the earth’s rocks by using a highly pressurized liquid, usually a mixture of water and sand and chemicals; this liquid, under extreme pressure, in injected in to a wellbore to create small fractures within the rock formation – this will then allow the migration of natural gas and petroleum to the well. From a business perspective, it is a win-win situation – these fracking increases the productivity of that well without having to drill another.
Impact of fracking on water source
But how does fracking impact the ground water source? What does the creation of these small fractures do the water source? Should people be concerned that this technology has a greater potential for damaging our earth’s water tables than most people admit? Perhaps a more immediate question is what is the impact of the quantity of water in these regions seeing as how the use of water for this process is astronomical? Are companies tapping into our current ground water sources? Where are they getting their water from? According to the Carbon Brief, Banhart, Texas, a small community in the centre of the shale gas industry, says it is running out of water due to the high use of water – it is creating pressure on the already struggling water source. Others dismiss this claim by expressing statistics that show less than 1% of water use is for fracking. The reality is this community is that for whatever reason – drought, overuse by fracking, etc. – lack of water is becoming an issue. This should be the focus. Rather than looking for a place to lay blame, people need to work together to address future use.
A common goal that we must all have is how to ensure our water sources are safe, clean and protected so that water does not become an extinct resource. We must effectively use our water, regardless of what it is used for. We have to be smarter about our approach to water use. At American Water Surveyors, we are dedicated to being the premier service provider in the water finding industry. We use the world’s leading edge technology to measure groundwater depths and yields. Our applications assist ranchers/farmers, municipalities, homeowners, real estate developers, golf course developers, water well drillers and any other entity requiring well locating or completion planning. We use technology to ensure that we find you water, and do it efficiently. Call or email American Water Surveyors at [email protected] to find out more about our services or to request a quote.
