The EPA conducted a nationwide study from 2010-2015 on the impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources. The EPA found vulnerabilities and actual impacts to drinking water at every stage of the hydraulic fracturing water lifecycle. However, the executive summary of the report misleadingly stated that widespread or systemic impacts had not been found. The science advisory board agreed the executive summary did not accurately reflect the reports findings and recommended revising it to acknowledge significant data gaps and the reports uncertainties. The board will issue recommendations to the EPA to revise the executive summary to more truthfully portray the studies findings and limitations.
View my power point to learn about the hazards of the proposed nuclear waste dump by Lake Huron and visit http://saveoursaugeenshores.org/
The Joint Panel EA review of Ontario Power Generation's proposed Deep Geological Repository at the shores of Lake Huron case 06-5-17520 is now under review. Send your emailed comments to DGR.Review@ceaa-acee.gc.ca. The more people speak up the better!
View my power point to learn about the hazards of the proposed nuclear waste dump by Lake Huron and visit http://saveoursaugeenshores.org/
The Joint Panel EA review of Ontario Power Generation's proposed Deep Geological Repository at the shores of Lake Huron case 06-5-17520 is now under review. Send your emailed comments to DGR.Review@ceaa-acee.gc.ca. The more people speak up the better!
Health Effects- Unconventional Natural Gas Development and Production (“FRACK...Tiffany Blackden
Ann Bristow shared this science based presentation on fracking in Maryland at the Garrett County Commissioner's Meeting on March 17, 2015. Fracking in Garrett County is restricted until October, 2017, when the moratorium is lifted, and the state will permit fracking. Now is the time to get involved and alert law makers to the fact that the risks are immense, and we are NOT willing to be collateral damage.
Performance assessment of water filtration plants in pakistan - JBESInnspub Net
A study was carried out to evaluate the water quality of filtration plants installed at six different places of Cantonment Board Sialkot, Pakistan to suggest and recommend guidelines for their improvement. Water samples from six Treatment plants and their respective twelve connections (two from each treatment plants) were collected before and after treatment. In this way, total samples were collected and tested. Values of these samples before and after treatment were used for comparison with World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for drinking water standards. Thirty three parameters including physical, chemical and bacteriological were determined for each sample. The results were satisfactory both chemically and bacteriologically according to WHO guidelines for water quality of treatment plants. The results showed that the samples of water were fit, both before and after treatment plant except for water sample of treatment plant No. IV & V (Before treatment). Total and faecal coliform were found in these samples. Various causes of faecal contamination before treatment may be due to leakage of pipelines, operation at tubewells, layout of freshwater pipes parallel or beneath the sewerage pipes or channels. Disinfection of water at source is recommended to deal with the faecal contamination; otherwise there is no need of filtration plant.
The aquifer system covers about 1400 to 1800 sq.km.
In general, the aquifers consist of the upper water table aquifer up to 30 m depth and the lower artesian aquifer of more than 500 m thickness, separated by semi-confining layer with thickness of up to 45 m.
Seasonal variations in water quality index of sirhind canal passing through m...eSAT Publishing House
IJRET : International Journal of Research in Engineering and Technology is an international peer reviewed, online journal published by eSAT Publishing House for the enhancement of research in various disciplines of Engineering and Technology. The aim and scope of the journal is to provide an academic medium and an important reference for the advancement and dissemination of research results that support high-level learning, teaching and research in the fields of Engineering and Technology. We bring together Scientists, Academician, Field Engineers, Scholars and Students of related fields of Engineering and Technology
Here is what I submitted to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission regarding the Darlington Nuclear power plant. Submitted on October as a formal written comment on October 15 2012.
Suitability Assessment of Shallow Groundwater of a Typical Coastal Aquifers f...iosrjce
Shallow Groundwater of a coastal aquifer has been intensively used as a source of water for
irrigation farming in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. To assess the usability of this water for irrigation use,
twenty locations at buguma city were mapped out and five water wells were sampled for each location using
Simple random sampling technique. Each sample was analyzed for the cations(magnesium(Mg2+), sodium(Na+
),
potassium(K+
),calcium(Ca2+)),anion(nitrate ion(N03
-
)), trace elements(cadmium(Cd), iron(Fe), and zinc(Zn)and
other phsico-chemical parameters(Salinity(SI), electric conductivity(EC) and pH) adopting standard methods.
Based on the analyzed parameters, irrigation water quality parameters (RSC, SAR, %Na and %MR) and
indexes(Kelly index(KI), Permeability Index(PI) and the Canadian water quality index(CWQI)) were calculated
.To assess the usability of the shallow groundwater, results of the Water quality index models and other
calculated irrigation parameters were compared with the standards. On the average, virtually all the sampling
locations except Ombu, Igba and Jackreech were unsuitable for irrigation use.
Water Quality and Sediment Analysis of Selected Rivers at Satara District, Ma...ijtsrd
Water pollution is one of the major global environmental problems. It is an acute problem almost in all major rivers and water reservoirs in India. Water pollution is increasing and becoming severe day by day and posing a great risk to human health and other living organisms. There is growing concern on the deterioration of ground water quality due to geogenic and anthropogenic activities. Present investigation aims at insight about the level of contaminants of surface water, groundwater and sediment analysis of selected rivers of Krishna River located in Mahuli and Urmodi river located in Nagthane, Satara district. An attempt has been made to assess the water quality, sediment analysis of the samples. Dissolved oxygen content of the water samples was observed quite well in limits such as in Krishna river Mahuli DO was 27.68mg L and in Urmodi river Nagthane was13.68mg .In the present study, COD value was observed by 720mg l at surface water of Krishna River Mahuliand 1320 mg l at surface water sample of Urmodi river Nagthane. As expected groundwater samples showed values of hardness within a limit. There is an urgent need for more representative samples to be used to go beyond preliminary assessment as reported in the present study for making appropriate recommendations. Pallavi Dhekale | Pranjal Nikam | Sagar Dadas | Chetana Patil "Water Quality and Sediment Analysis of Selected Rivers at Satara District, Maharashtra" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-3 | Issue-6 , October 2019, URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd28062.pdf Paper URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/pharmacy/medicinal-chemistry/28062/water-quality-and-sediment-analysis-of-selected-rivers-at-satara-district-maharashtra/pallavi-dhekale
Health Effects- Unconventional Natural Gas Development and Production (“FRACK...Tiffany Blackden
Ann Bristow shared this science based presentation on fracking in Maryland at the Garrett County Commissioner's Meeting on March 17, 2015. Fracking in Garrett County is restricted until October, 2017, when the moratorium is lifted, and the state will permit fracking. Now is the time to get involved and alert law makers to the fact that the risks are immense, and we are NOT willing to be collateral damage.
Performance assessment of water filtration plants in pakistan - JBESInnspub Net
A study was carried out to evaluate the water quality of filtration plants installed at six different places of Cantonment Board Sialkot, Pakistan to suggest and recommend guidelines for their improvement. Water samples from six Treatment plants and their respective twelve connections (two from each treatment plants) were collected before and after treatment. In this way, total samples were collected and tested. Values of these samples before and after treatment were used for comparison with World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for drinking water standards. Thirty three parameters including physical, chemical and bacteriological were determined for each sample. The results were satisfactory both chemically and bacteriologically according to WHO guidelines for water quality of treatment plants. The results showed that the samples of water were fit, both before and after treatment plant except for water sample of treatment plant No. IV & V (Before treatment). Total and faecal coliform were found in these samples. Various causes of faecal contamination before treatment may be due to leakage of pipelines, operation at tubewells, layout of freshwater pipes parallel or beneath the sewerage pipes or channels. Disinfection of water at source is recommended to deal with the faecal contamination; otherwise there is no need of filtration plant.
The aquifer system covers about 1400 to 1800 sq.km.
In general, the aquifers consist of the upper water table aquifer up to 30 m depth and the lower artesian aquifer of more than 500 m thickness, separated by semi-confining layer with thickness of up to 45 m.
Seasonal variations in water quality index of sirhind canal passing through m...eSAT Publishing House
IJRET : International Journal of Research in Engineering and Technology is an international peer reviewed, online journal published by eSAT Publishing House for the enhancement of research in various disciplines of Engineering and Technology. The aim and scope of the journal is to provide an academic medium and an important reference for the advancement and dissemination of research results that support high-level learning, teaching and research in the fields of Engineering and Technology. We bring together Scientists, Academician, Field Engineers, Scholars and Students of related fields of Engineering and Technology
Here is what I submitted to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission regarding the Darlington Nuclear power plant. Submitted on October as a formal written comment on October 15 2012.
Suitability Assessment of Shallow Groundwater of a Typical Coastal Aquifers f...iosrjce
Shallow Groundwater of a coastal aquifer has been intensively used as a source of water for
irrigation farming in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. To assess the usability of this water for irrigation use,
twenty locations at buguma city were mapped out and five water wells were sampled for each location using
Simple random sampling technique. Each sample was analyzed for the cations(magnesium(Mg2+), sodium(Na+
),
potassium(K+
),calcium(Ca2+)),anion(nitrate ion(N03
-
)), trace elements(cadmium(Cd), iron(Fe), and zinc(Zn)and
other phsico-chemical parameters(Salinity(SI), electric conductivity(EC) and pH) adopting standard methods.
Based on the analyzed parameters, irrigation water quality parameters (RSC, SAR, %Na and %MR) and
indexes(Kelly index(KI), Permeability Index(PI) and the Canadian water quality index(CWQI)) were calculated
.To assess the usability of the shallow groundwater, results of the Water quality index models and other
calculated irrigation parameters were compared with the standards. On the average, virtually all the sampling
locations except Ombu, Igba and Jackreech were unsuitable for irrigation use.
Water Quality and Sediment Analysis of Selected Rivers at Satara District, Ma...ijtsrd
Water pollution is one of the major global environmental problems. It is an acute problem almost in all major rivers and water reservoirs in India. Water pollution is increasing and becoming severe day by day and posing a great risk to human health and other living organisms. There is growing concern on the deterioration of ground water quality due to geogenic and anthropogenic activities. Present investigation aims at insight about the level of contaminants of surface water, groundwater and sediment analysis of selected rivers of Krishna River located in Mahuli and Urmodi river located in Nagthane, Satara district. An attempt has been made to assess the water quality, sediment analysis of the samples. Dissolved oxygen content of the water samples was observed quite well in limits such as in Krishna river Mahuli DO was 27.68mg L and in Urmodi river Nagthane was13.68mg .In the present study, COD value was observed by 720mg l at surface water of Krishna River Mahuliand 1320 mg l at surface water sample of Urmodi river Nagthane. As expected groundwater samples showed values of hardness within a limit. There is an urgent need for more representative samples to be used to go beyond preliminary assessment as reported in the present study for making appropriate recommendations. Pallavi Dhekale | Pranjal Nikam | Sagar Dadas | Chetana Patil "Water Quality and Sediment Analysis of Selected Rivers at Satara District, Maharashtra" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-3 | Issue-6 , October 2019, URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd28062.pdf Paper URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/pharmacy/medicinal-chemistry/28062/water-quality-and-sediment-analysis-of-selected-rivers-at-satara-district-maharashtra/pallavi-dhekale
Human relations are more fragile than even glassware: if you hold them carefully they remain beautiful and attractive and if you drop/neglect them they break into numerous pieces which can never be attached and even if attached well they can only carry the broken impressions. Therefore, maintaining human relations today has become a ‘herculean task’ as life today has become very mechanical for many due to several reasons. It is the thought of this aspect of life today that gave birth to an ‘INNOVATIVE GESTURE’ to be extended to everybody who wish to keep their relations ever alive.
We, the final year B.Tech. students, thought “can’t we do something that bridges the gap between people”? It struck our minds that we must help everybody in maintaining their relations well. Thus, human beings always remain humane despite their hectic schedule. That’s how 12NUIT.COM cameinto existence.
What can 12NUIT.COM do?
One may feel like greeting someone on his/her birthday/marriage day/success/achievement/ festivals and so on. However, one may not be able to do so due to the pressures of day-to-day life, though love to do. Such slips may be well avoided with the use of 12NUIT.COM. Thus,everyone is welcome to avail the services of 12NUIT.COM anytime.
We accept your orders to be sent to your dear ones. You may send your gift through us. Thus, our services hope to keep your relations much stronger than the strongest.
How did 12NUIT.COM come about?
One day one of our friends failed to wish his closest friend on her birthday. As a result there arose a serious problem in the form of misunderstanding and doubting. It took quite a long time to make peace. Given this bad, sad and unpleasant experience, we thought such slips must be avoided. Besides, we should become the source of avoidance as we believe in “prevention is better than cure”. Thanks to that girl who was indeed the sole reason for the reality of 12NUIT.COM.
“HOW MAY I HELP YOU?” says 12NUIT.COM
Food & Water Watch Letter to EPA Requesting the Agency Lie About Fracking Res...Marcellus Drilling News
A letter from a group of radical environmental organizations, including Food & Water Watch, the Sierra Club, and others, requesting that EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy lie about the science-based conclusions reach in last year's EPA report that said fracking does not contaminate water supplies. These groups want the EPA to reverse its language in the report in order to lie about fracking. Very sick.
Executive Summary of EPA Draft Report on Fracking Impacts on Water Supplies -...Marcellus Drilling News
An Executive Summary for a draft EPA report titled "Assessment of the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing
for Oil and Gas on Drinking Water Resources". The study reviews data from 950 sources and concludes that while certain known and minor affects can happen (drawing down water too low), fracking DOES NOT POLLUTE WATER SUPPLIES. That is the takeaway from this study by the Obama EPA.
Report: Shale Gas Wastewater Treatment and Disposal in Pennsylvania 2014Marcellus Drilling News
A report issued in August 2015 titled "Shale Gas Development - Summary of Shale Gas Wastewater Treatment and Disposal In Pennsylvania 2014". The report finds drillers in PA produced about 1.8 billion gallons of gas and oil wastewater in 2014--a figure largely unchanged since 2011. The study also finds the shale industry in PA is recycling 91% of the wastewater it produces.
Filling the Void: A Citizens' Audit of Ohio Oil and Gas Waste Disposal WellsMarcellus Drilling News
A faux "report" produced by 16 untrained volunteers (anti-drilling activitists) who claim to find evidence of mismanagement of the wastewater injection well program in Ohio on the part of the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources. The solution, according to the virulently anti-drilling Ohio Citizen Action group that produced the report, is to have the federal EPA take over active oversight of the injection well program.
A draft letter from the EPA's own Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) that calls into question the 4-year EPA study that found fracking doesn't pollute groundwater. Anti-drillers have forced, and now corrupted, the science process at the EPA in their radical attempt to redefine settled research.
SAB Review of EPA's Draft Assessment of Fracking on Drinking Water ResourcesMarcellus Drilling News
Final review from a small group of politically-influence "scientists" that calls on the EPA to changes the findings of its original 4-year study of fracking that concludes fracking does not negatively affect groundwater supplies.
Bioassessment Approach to MS4 Evaluation and AssessmentJPoore
Jesse Poore presented logic and background information that supports integration of stream bioassessments into MS4 evaluation and assessment procedures.
A comprehensive review of EPA's study methodology, commissioned by the American Petroleum Institute and America's Natural Gas Alliance. The Battelle study finds that EPA's methodology needs help to be more scientifically rigourous. This is a major critique of how the EPA is attempting to study fracking and a possible connection to water contamination.
the necessity of large flow calibration systems for water main systems for th...AquaSPE AG
The attached presentation discusses the necessity of large flow calibration systems for water main systems for the determination of leakage losses, and the quantities of processed water that can be saved through the combination of distribution-side minimization of leakage losses and consumer-side conservation -- and why it makes little sense to put costly recycled and/or desalinated water into water mains that continue to leak.
the necessity of large flow calibration systems for water main systems for th...
EPAFrackAssmt_Brief_Final
1. What is the Assessment?
Rising concerns over the increase in oil and gas extraction and its impact on public health and
the environment compelled Congress to direct EPA, in 2010, to conduct a nationwide study of the
impacts of hydraulic fracturing, largely unknown at the time.
The study was to “assess the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources
and to identify the driving factors that affect the severity and frequency of any impacts.”1
EPA confined the scope of its research to the hydraulic fracturing water lifecycle. This included
the acquisition of water needed to fracture a well, mixing the chemicals, well injection, flowback
water, and the management and disposal of the
wastewater that returns to the surface.
Over the course of five years, EPA held numerous public
meetings, issued a study plan and a progress report and
released the more than 900-page draft Assessment in
June 2015.
What did the Assessment find?
The draft Assessment is EPA’s synthesis of existing
research on hydraulic fracturing activities along with
limited original research involving retrospective case
studies of documented water contamination events.
The draft Assessment reveals that every stage of the hydraulic fracturing water lifecycle is
vulnerable to water contamination. These vulnerabilities led to actual impacts in many parts
of the study. The potential for future water quality impacts is startling based on the number of
people and sources of drinking water near oil and gas development.
• 9.4 million people live within 1 mile of a hydraulically fractured well
• 25,000–30,000 wells were fractured between 2011–20142
• 6,800 sources of drinking water for Public Water Systems were within one mile of a
hydraulically fractured well
>> These sources provide drinking water to 8.6 million people year-round3
• 3.6 million people who rely on private water systems live in counties with
hydraulically fractured wells4
Issue Brief:
EPA Hydraulic Fracturing
and Drinking Water
Assessment
EPA’s
FRACKING
REPORT:
Issue Brief
A water impoundment at a drill pad in the
Fayetteville Shale gas play of Arkansas.
Photo Credit: Bill Cunningham, USGS.
2. Water Acquisition
The impacts of water withdrawals for hydraulic fracturing can be severe at the local level.
Hydraulic fracturing operations typically use more than a million gallons of water per well. In
certain counties the water used for hydraulic fracturing was 30% to 50% of total use. The impacts
are more acute in drier western regions experiencing a large amount of oil and gas activity with
low water availability.
Chemical Mixing
EPA identified 1,075 chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing fluids. The Agency also found up to
18,000 pounds of chemicals were injected per fractured well. Despite this volume, information
critical to understanding public health impacts from chemical exposure were not available for the
majority of chemicals, “representing a significant gap for hazard identification.”5
Companies claiming chemicals as confidential business information severely hampered EPA’s
ability to assess potential threats to drinking water. Seventy percent of well data reviewed had at
least one chemical claimed as confidential and not reported.6
Well Injection
Two years of data from nine service companies revealed at least three percent of hydraulically
fractured wells did not have a layer of cement across a critical section of the well meant to protect
a source of groundwater. These well design or construction oversights can and have led to impacts
to drinking water.
Additionally, not all hydraulic fracturing occurs at depths far below an underground source of
drinking water as commonly believed. Twenty percent of wells with corresponding data are at
depths deemed shallow. A smaller amount of wells inject fracturing fluids directly into formations
that also include drinking water, “which directly affects the quality of that water.”7
Improperly plugged and abandoned wells pose an even greater threat to drinking water, and many
of their locations are unknown. The draft Assessment also confirms there are multiple subsurface
pathways in which fluids or gas could migrate into water resources over time.
Flowback, Produced Water & Wastewater Management and Disposal
The wastewater disposal stage of the hydraulic fracturing water lifecycle threatens drinking
water quality.
Fracking fluid and other drilling
wastes are dumped into an
unlined pit located right up
against the Petroleum Highway
in Kern County, California.
Photo Credit: Faces of
Fracking, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
3. Over 2 billion gallons of wastewater are created each year as water
flows back to the surface after hydraulic fracturing is complete.
This water is laced with fracture fluid chemicals, high salt contents,
heavy metals and radioactive material from deep underground. The
water is generally kept in open pits or impoundments, sent to water
treatment plants, injected underground or reused in subsequent
fracturing events. Wastewater disposal poses multiple threats to
water quality via:
• Storing wastewater in unlined pits or impoundments
• Discharging to surface waters after waste is treated at plants
with inadequate treatment technology
• Illegal discharges, accidental leaks and spills from trucks or
storage tanks
• Chemicals accumulating in sediments in surface water
• Migrating from poorly constructed, plugged or abandoned
underground injection wells
• Improperly disposing of drill cuttings, drilling muds and concentrated treatment residuals
Political Spin in the Executive Summary and Media Reports
Misrepresenting Actual Findings
Despite the abundance of vulnerabilities, impacts and significant data gaps described in each
chapter, the top line message in the draft Assessment’s Executive Summary read:
“We did not find evidence that these mechanisms have led to widespread, systemic
impacts on drinking water resources in the United States. Of the potential mechanisms
identified in this report, we found specific instances where one or more mechanisms
led to impacts on drinking water resources, including contamination of drinking water
wells. The number of identified cases, however, was small compared to the number of
hydraulically fractured wells.”8
These three sentences led to a flood of misleading media coverage which disregarded the findings
of the report. Headlines across the country read:
“EPA Fracking Study: Drilling Wins” — Forbes
“Fracking Doesn’t Pollute Drinking Water, EPA says” — Newsweek
“EPA: Fracking doesn’t harm drinking water” — Washington Times
“EPA review clears fracking” — The Dominion Post
“The EPA Fracking Miracle” — Wall Street Journal
The Executive Summary does not faithfully summarize the results of the study. The statement,
“We did not find evidence that these mechanisms have led to widespread, systemic impacts on
drinking water resources in the United States” misrepresents the level of certainty with which
EPA can identify impacts on drinking water.
Drill rig at a Marcellus Shale site.
Photo Credit: Ken Skipper, USGS
4. 1 U.S. EPA. “Plan to Study the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing on Drinking Water Resources.” November 2015 at IX.
2 U.S. EPA. “EPA’s Full Draft Assessment of the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing for Oil and Gas on Drinking Water
Resources.” June 4, 2015 at ES-5.
3 Id. 3-12.
4 Id. 3-12.
5 Id. ES-12.
6 Id. 5-15.
7 Id. ES-14
8 Id. ES-6
1444 Eye Street NW, #400, Washington DC 20005-6538 | 202.895.0420 | www.cleanwater.org
CLEAN WATER ACTION | CLEAN WATER FUND
This is misleading for anyone who does not read the full findings of the draft Assessment. The
report outlines vulnerabilities in every stage of the water lifecycle, but importantly places greater
emphasis on EPA’s inability to determine with any certainty the frequency of impacts due to a lack
of available data. There are dozens of instances in the draft Assessment where EPA reveals a lack
of available data, which could lead to undervaluing threats to drinking water.
[See Widespread Uncertainty]
Science Advisory Board Panel Agrees Revisions Needed
The Science Advisory Board Hydraulic Fracturing Research Advisory Panel is a group of 30
interdisciplinary scientists from industry and academia, tasked with reviewing the draft
Assessment chapter-by-chapter. The Panel agreed that the messaging in the Executive Summary
is not supported by the underlying data of the report. Almost all preliminary comments from
the experts agree that EPA’s assertion that the impacts to drinking water are not “widespread,
systemic” must be changed. [See In Their Words]
What’s Next?
The Panel is developing an official report to EPA with recommendations for improving the study.
If their preliminary comments and public discussion is any indication, the report could recom-
mend EPA revise the Executive Summary to more faithfully convey the findings of the report. This
would walk back the conclusions that made national news and were taken out of context by poli-
cymakers as fact and used as a way to negate the very real impacts of oil and gas development.
Will EPA listen?
In order to avoid having the Assessment’s findings misunderstood or intentionally misconstrued,
the high level conclusions must be supported by the underlying data. EPA must revise the Major
Findings and Conclusions section of the Executive Summary to make it clear that EPA cannot say
with any certainty how widespread or systemic the impacts of hydraulic fracturing are without
further analysis, access to more data and defining “widespread” and “systemic.”
Winter 2016