This document discusses the impacts of hydraulic fracturing or "fracking" on water quality and drought conditions. It provides background on fracking processes and chemicals used. It also summarizes recent drought conditions across the US and their effects. The document expresses concerns that fracking poses risks to water supplies by contaminating groundwater and exacerbating water scarcity issues. It notes various protests and studies that have linked fracking to water pollution and earthquakes.

1. Water Quality 101: Fracking Matters
+
Orianna Carter, Associate Professor OUS
Molecular Biologist and Environmentalist
Ohio Environmental Council Forum,
02.05.2013 Athens, Ohio
Photo Spencer Platt, Getty Images.

2. Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC)

3. + AP Photo by M.
Hutmacher
The Wichita Eagle,
―The 2012 Drought gripped
the USA as the widest since
1956―, National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration.
Over 55% of continental U.S.
experienced moderate to
extreme drought by July.
UNITED STATES
DROUGHT 2012
HuffPost Green Editors
Presented by
Dr. Orianna Carter

4. +
Midwest Drought – 7/26
Dead fish float in a drying pond near Rock Port,
MO. Multitudes of fish are dying in the midwest
as the sizzling summer dries up rivers and raises
water temperatures in some spots to nearly
100°F.
Calumet, OK
AP Photo/Nati Harnik

5. +
Noblesville, IN 7/16
Boats sit on the bottom of a dry cove at Morse
Reservoir, down 6‘ and lowering by 1‘ per 5 days
in efforts to provide water for drought-ridden
Indianapolis.
AP Photo/Michael Conroy

6. +
England, AK 7/27
The USDA granted a disaster declaration
for 69 of Arkansas' 75 counties due to the
drought.
AP Photo/Danny Johnston

7. PRINCETON, IN – 7/17
+
Drought-damaged corn
The corn and soybean belt is
experiencing one of the worst
droughts in more than five decades.
70% of Illinois, the nation's number two corn
producing state, was classified as experiencing
drought.
Over 10 days of triple digit temperatures with
little rain over 2 months forced many farmers to
call 2012 a total loss.
Photo S. Olson/Getty Images

8. +Waltonville, IL 7/16
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn (with Farm Bureau Pres.
Philip Nelson, R) says the state will offer an
array of debt restructuring and loan programs to
farmers and ranchers affected by the drought.
AP Photo/Jim Suhr

9. +
Water as a Sustainable Resource
 Fresh water is needed for human consumption, crop irrigation,
animal stock and forestry
 Communities bear the burden of water contamination clean up,
which costs many millions of taxpayer dollars.
 Understaffed EPA struggles to resolve toxic waste seepage at
30,000 superfund sites which threaten our water supply
 Limited supply with the nation‘s aquifers being depleted in some
areas by overuse
 Climate Change
 None of these problems are addressed by the gas industry which
will be exacerbating each critical status
Temperatures in the contiguous United States last year were the hottest in more than a
century of record-keeping, shattering the mark set in 1998 by a wide margin, the federal
government announced Tuesday. 1/8/13 Washington Post, Juliet Eilperin

10. +
What is a Watershed?
 Watershed:
 An area of land where all the water located within it drains into a
common waterway.
 Includes groundwater and surface water
 Ohio Watershed Management (monitor, protect, restore):
 Headwaters - low regulation, high environmental sensitivity
 Middle reaches - human impact is significant
 Lakes - sediment & toxicity vulnerability
 Wetlands - filtering sponges, now protected in Ohio
 Ohio River & Lake Erie

11. States are required to place their assessed
waters in one of five categories, as follows:
Category Description
1 All designated uses (DU) met
2 Some, but not all, DUs met
3 Can not determine if any DUs met
4 Impaired/threatened - TMDL not needed
4a TMDL completed
4b TMDL alternative
4c Non-pollutant causes
5 Impaired/threatened by pollutant - TMDL
needed, * Also known as the 303(d) list
Can view MYWATERS Mapper through EPA at:
http://www.epa.gov/waters/enviromapper/index.html

12. WY
NE
CO KS
TX Ohio has abundant ground water
resources. Avg. rainfall 30-44‖ per
yr. Infiltration of 3-16‖ re- charges
our aquifers.
Ogallala Aquifer is one of the world's great aquifers, but is being rapidly depleted in
places by growing municipal and continued agricultural use. Ogallala contains primarily
fossil water from the time of the last glaciation. Annual recharge, in the more arid parts
of the aquifer, is estimated to total only 10% of annual depletion.

13. Nature study, published by researchers at McGill and Utrecht University in the
Netherlands, offers a map showing the regions where the use of water from these
aquifers vastly exceeds the rate at which they‘re being refilled by rain.

14. + Photo S. Platt, Getty
NYC - JANUARY 11.2012
Held on the City Hall steps, protestors
called for an end to controversial gas
drilling in growing alarm that
contamination of NY aquifers would
poison its public drinking water.. shale rock
Hydraulic Fracking Matters

15. + Hydraulic Fracturing
Under the authority granted in
 Ohio has 80,000 fractured wells, under the jurisdiction of
Section 1509.32, any person
ODNR, DMRM, and pertaining statutes containedmay file a written
adversely affected in
complaint with the chief. Although
Chapter 1509 of the Ohio Revised Code (ORC). These
this section specifically addresses
laws were amended with Senate Bill 165, which became
restoration violations, it is broadly
effective on June 30, 2010. applied for all violation. Division
procedures require staff to address
all complaints. A complaint may be
 Millions of gallons of high-pressure, chemical-laden e-mail, via
received in writing, by
water are pumped into an underground shale to free up
phone, or in person. Complaints are
natural gas. logged and tracked in an electronic
log. Reports are maintained within
the DMRM Risk Based Data
 Once fractures have been opened up in the rock and the
Management System (RBDMS)
water pressure is allowed to abate, and/or a hard copy complaint file.
internal pressure
from the rock causes fracking fluidsWhen water samplesthe collected
to rise back to are
and analyzed, analytical information
surface, what the natural gas industry calls "flowback‖, a the
is maintained (LIMS data), in
briny mixture of minerals. DMRM RBDMS-Water (RBDMS-W)
data management system.

16. +
Mineral
Extraction
 3 Fossil Fuels:
 Coal
 Petroleum
 Natural Gas
 Marcellus Shale – major natural gas reservoir
 This industry is impacting our environment and waterways

17. + Natural Gas
 Drilling became a major
occurrence throughout the
21st century
 Hydraulic Fracturing:
used to extract the natural
gas from shale rock below
the surface
 Water is pumped into the
rock to crack it and free the gas
 In 2008, PA neighboring residents noticed a different taste in their
water
 Due to higher TDS levels and chlorine reacting with bromide from the
frackwater, created hazardous gases
 Frackwater contains toxic metals including bromine, strontium, barium,
manganese and radium, is 10x saltier than ocean water and contains
released radioactive decay products of uranium

18. www.anga.us

19. +Fracking requires 5 million gallons of
water a ‗handful of times‘ per well
1000‘s Chemicals, still unknown, include
benzene, toluene and radioisotopes
Internal documents provide evidence
concrete failure rates are 6-7% in new
drilled wells
Regulatory agencies cited (Clean Air and
Clean Water Acts; Safe Drinking Water Acts
have limited powers
EPA environmental assessments are only
on federal land, not yours
Benefits of low water usage & clean air
statistics referenced to coal fired plants, not
www.anga.us renewable energy sources

20. +Industry Response to Opponents
 Will disclose all chemicals used?
 Trade-secrets exempt from disclosure; harmful contaminants (heavy metals,
radioactive material)) released to the surface.
 Optimizing the rules?
 Well casings known to fail over time as concrete degrades and pollutants leak into
ecosystem, though new rules reduce well failure rates from 20 to 30 yrs.
 Minimizing/protecting groundwater, ensuring waste disposal?
 ―Solutions‖ include injecting flammable propane gel instead of water into wells. 30
to 70% fracking wastes stays deep below ground, where fluid flow and displaced
brines are associated with earth tremors. Remaining wastewater contaminants
create risk to underground drinking water.
 Reducing the impact on roads, ecosystems and communities?
 1,000s truckloads per well –damaging infrastructure, turning rural communities into
industrial sites. When industry leaves town, communities will be left with the legacy
of pollution.

21. 11/30/11: Environ. Conservation Hydro Fracking NYC Hearing
+
4/25/12: NYC Hydraulic Fracturing Prevention Press Conf.
Nationwide, residents living near fracked gas wells have filed
1,000s of complaints regarding tainted water, severe illnesses,
livestock deaths, and fish kills, property devaluation
Photo by Dipasupil, Getty Images

22. In ―Some Fracking Critics Use Bad Science‖, Kevin Begos
+
misrepresents existing facts and makes a common error by
putting the burden of proof on the victims of industry rather than
requiring that industry answer all questions necessary to prove
that hydrofracking is safe. -NYS Breast Cancer Network
Josh Fox‘s documentaries, the Academy
nominated 'Gasland‘ and ‗The Sky is Pink,‘
target hydro-fracking and the EPA.

23. +The Sky Is Pink – Separating Fact from
Fiction: Linking Fracking to Health Risks
 Colorado School of Public Health study showed drilling and fracking
operations release benzene into air at levels known to elevate cancer
risk. http://www.erierising.com/human-health-
risk-assessment-of-air-emissions-from-development-of-unconventional-
natural-gas-resources/
 35 different air pollutants act as breast carcinogens in animal studies
 Rudel RA, et al., ‗Chemicals causing mammary gland tumors in animals
signal new directions for epidemiology, chemicals testing, and risk
assessment for breast cancer prevention.‘ Cancer. 2007, 109(S12):2635-66.
 Benzene‘s links to breast cancer, ‗Identifying Gaps in Breast Cancer
Research: Addressing Disparities and the Roles of the Physical and
Social
Environment‘. http://www.cbcrp.org/sri/reports/identifyinggaps/GAPS_fu
ll.pdf

24. + burden of proof is on the nation‘s citizens
The
Linking groundwater pollution to Hydrofracking:
WY - EPA’s analysis of deep monitoring wells in aquifers show
synthetic chemicals (glycols and alcohols), consistent with gas
production and hydraulic fracturing fluids, benzene
concentrations well above Safe Drinking Water Act standards,
and high methane levels.
Linking earthquake incidence to Hydrofracking: LANCASHIRE –
PRESTON,
OK, TX - Senior Research Scientist,10/07/11
Cliff Frohlich, U Texas, Institute
Geophysics and USGS Seismologist, Oliver Boyd, concurred that the
latest string of Texas earthquakes show intense activity at fracking of
Engineers on the drilling platform
epicenters and these events are notthe Cuadrilla shale fracking facility.
coincidental.
The controversial method has been
Data published on August 6, 2012 inblamed for two minor earthquakes in
Journal Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences. the surrounding region.

25. +
Fracking Linked to Earthquakes
 Oklahoma‘s strongest recorded quake was in 2011, along with 180 minor
tremors in TX occurred 10/08 thru 5/09.
 Seismologist Cliff Frohlich at U Tex-Austin analyzed seismic activity in shale
in northern Texas and identified epicenters for 67 earthquakes — more than
8X as many as reported by the National Earthquake Information Center —
with magnitudes of 3.0 or less located within a few miles of one or more
injection wells.
 All of the wells nearest the epicenters reported high rates of injection
exceeding 150,000 barrels (17.6 million liters) of water per month.
 Data published on August 6, 2012 in Journal Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences.

26. After Range Resources Protest
Assoc. Press By RAMIT PLUSHNICK-MASTI
01/16/2013
• 2010-Fort Worth, TX: Reported drinking water "bubbling‖,
federal government issued rare emergency order -
homeowners were in immediate danger from wells saturated
with flammable methane. As the case went to court, EPA hired
a scientist to perform tests which linked nearby drilling activities
to contaminated water.
• 2012-EPA rescinded order, against their own compiled scientific
evidence (confidential reports & interviews obtained by Assoc. Press).
• +
Representing Range Resources, Attorney, D. Poole informed EPA
officials in DC if EPA pursued a "scientifically baseless" action against
them, Range Resources would refuse access to their drilling site for a
national study on effects of hydraulic fracking.
• 2011- WY: EPA again linked hydraulic fracturing operations to
water contamination and then softened its position after
industry & GOP protested.
• In both cases, EPA refused to answer questions, stating it was shifting
its ―focus away from litigation and toward a joint effort on the science
and safety of energy extraction.‖

27. +
 Costs to owner of the contaminated TX well: $1,000/month to haul safe
water.
 Another scientist investigating the TX contamination, Rob Jackson, Global
Environment Change, Duke U., stated EPA‘s withdrawal was unusual as
the gas could have originated from nearby gas extractions in the Barnett
shale.
 Range Resources responded that isotopic testing is invalid, can‘t distinguish
shale gas from other rock formations and natural gas migration.
 Range Resources insists happening since long before they arrived. Jackson
noted it‘s "unrealistic" to suggest people could have tainted water and not notice.
 Range Resources accused all individuals whose investigations linked their drilling
activities to the contaminated wells as ‗anti-industry‘.

28. +Disturbing Responses to Fracking
 Nationwide:1st major U.S. insurer to announce it won‘t cover
fracking damage. According to internal memos, "We have
determined that the exposures presented by hydraulic fracturing
are too great to ignore.‖
 Global Water: Oil and Gas Summit, Dubai 2012, water industry
declares fracking will be the largest sector for profiting – a multi-
billion dollar market.
 Companies make money both ends:
 selling water to drillers
 treating the toxic wastewater.
 Financial services industry: in on the action of trading polluted water!

29. Protests in Ohio – ecowatch.org
+
 Nov. 28, 2012: ODNR Public hearing request on proposed Athens
County, Atha Class II injection well permit, by 50+ community
members inside an ―open house‖ information forum was denied.
 Fracking waste dump into Class II wells (highly toxic toluene, benzene, and
other neurotoxic, carcinogenic, and radioactive substances), regulated
as hazardous (except oil & gas) under the Safe Drinking Water Act, Clean
Water Act and hazardous waste regulations.‖
 ACFAN (Athens County Fracking Action Network) 100,000,000s gallons of
highly radioactive fracking waste have been injected in Ohio injection wells
in the past year. Nancy Pierce states, ―Ohio does not monitor drinking or
groundwater around any Class II injection wells.‖
 Energy in Depth Ohio website, 11/30/13: ―ODNR‘s event was a
positive opportunity for citizens around Athens County to learn more
about Class II injection wells, and submit comments for public
record. With only 30 people entering the building with no intention of
gaining knowledge on the subject, it‘s clear there is a strong number of
people in the Athens area eager to learn more about injection wells
and the growing oil and gas industry in Ohio.‖

30. +
30,000,000,000,000 gals of waste
water injected underground in USA
 "In 10 to 100 years we are going to find out that most of our
groundwater is polluted," said Mario Salazar, an engineer who
worked for 25 years as a technical expert with the EPA's
underground injection program in Washington. "A lot of people
are going to get sick, and a lot of people may die.‖
 A ProPublica review of well records, case histories and
government summaries of more than 220,000 well inspections
found that structural failures inside injection wells are routine.
From late 2007 to late 2010, one well integrity violation was
issued for every six deep injection wells examined — more
than 17,000 violations nationally.
 ‗THE POISON BENEATH US‘

31. +How to Cope With Hydrofracking in Your
Neighborhood?
 Check your water quality, often.
 Know where your meat comes from.
 Keep masks in your house in case air
quality is low during high hydro-fracking
activity.
 Be earthquake ready.
 Move.
WikiHow

32. Source: ALLARM Shale Gas Monitoring Manual

33. +
Taking Action, Keeping Safe
 Routinely run tests on tap water using test kits.
 Record baselines into data system.
 Remarkable values should be retested by a laboratory for a detailed
analysis.
 Consider testing water sources surrounding residential homes using
hand held meters and/or test kits provided by certified laboratory.
 Record detailed water data and report anything significant to EPA.
 Seek remedial efforts through local water company notifications and/or
independently for private water supplies.
 Contact Advocacy Groups.

34. +
Causes of Water Quality Change
 Water Quality:
 Describesthe health of a water body based on
chemical, biological, and physical characteristics
 Two types of pollution:
 Point-sourcepollution
 Nonpoint-source pollution

35. +
 Section 1509.22 Ohio Revised Code gives authority to require an
owner/operator of an oil/gas well to replace a water supply
substantially disrupted by contamination, diminution or interruption
resulting from oil and gas operation.
 Water well log records or call ODNR 614-265-6740
 www.ohiodnr.com/water/maptechs/wellogs/appNEW/

36. +

37. +
Conductivity
 Measure of the water‘s ability to conduct an electrical current
 Depends directly on the amount of total dissolved solids (TDS)
in the water
 Example: Saltwater has a higher conductivity than distilled water
 High levels alter the smell and taste of drinking water
 Causes gastrointestinal problems for humans
 Harmful for agriculture when used for irrigation

38. +
Total Dissolved Solids - TDS
 Dissolved inorganic & organic substances, acceptable levels for
human drinking water is 100 mg/l
 Major Contributors:
 Bicarbonate, Calcium, Silica, Chlorine, Magnesium, Phosphate
 organic based: detergents, disinfectants, pesticides, petroleum,
industrial solvents
 inorganic based: fertilizers, NH3, chemical plant waste, pH change,
urban run-off
 TDS levels can indicate increased levels of toxic substances
 Gives water a salty or metallic taste
 Usually calculated from conductivity using a conversion factor
 Ranges from 0.54-0.96

39. +How to monitor your tap water?
 Test early to establish a baseline for certain markers of tap water, stream
or watershed health. Document location, time, date.
 Drilling wastewater includes salty brine and metals - take pH and
conductivity readings when collecting samples.
 Collecting baseline data will make it easier to connect pollution to a new
well. The goal of monitoring is to collect a year‘s worth of readings
before any wells are drilled nearby.
 Measuring of two indicators - conductivity and TDS – which rise
dramatically when streams are contaminated with fracking wastewater.
 Record your data. If those numbers triple, that amounts to a problem.
 High levels need to be sent to a laboratory for further testing. For oil/gas
drilling, these might include:
 chlorides, sodium, barium, lead, pH, corrosion index, strontium, dissolved
methane

40. +
Collecting Samples
For Lab Analysis
 Microbes - Use sterile containers provided by testing laboratory. Samples
must reach the lab within 36 hrs. Do not to rinse containers because most
contain preservatives.
 Minerals/Chemicals - Run tap 5-10 min, then collect 1 quart ―raw‖ water
(bypass water treatment) using scrubbed (phosphate-free detergent) and
3x rinsed plastic or glass container. Get samples to lab within 2 wks.
If testing corrosion, let water stand overnight, don‘t run for 5-10 min.
 Special care for organics - Volatile, do not aerate. Run water 5-10 min,
carefully collect from partially closed faucet in slow steady, non-aerated
stream of water. Hold sample bottle at angle. Fill bottle completely, cover,
and invert bottle to check for air bubbles. If present, retake sample. Take
sample to laboratory in person or use an overnight mail service.

41. OEPA stores statewide ambient natural ground water data, & health implications for
each chemical: http://water.epa.gov/drink/contaminants/basicinformation/index.cfm

42. +
Finding Laboratory Test Facilities
 Link to a water analysis interpretive tool:
 www.ndsu.edu/waterquality
 National Testing Laboratories:
 http://www.ntllabs.com/residential.html
 State Certified Laboratories:
 http://water.epa.gov/scitech/drinkingwater/labcert/statecertification.cfm
 Voinovich School & Russ College of Engineering
 Institute for Sustainable Energy and the Environment Laboratory
 Sierra Club of Ohio, Clean Water Program
 Local health districts or soil and water conservation offices

43. + Laboratory Water Sample Parameters -
Analysis of Physical and Chemical
 Tier I - $170.00
 Barium, Cl, Mg, K, Na, Stromium, S, TDS, Conductivity,
Bromide
 Tier II - $229.00
 Tier I plus Ca, hardness, alkalinity, pH, Fe, Mn, Bromide
 Tier III - $344.00
 Tier I & II plus
 BTEX (benzene, toluene, xylene, ethylbenzene, methane)
 VOC (Volatile Organics)
 *Recommended by Am. Assoc. of Pediatrics be performed
regularly before and during oil/gas drilling

44. User's Guide
Test Strips & Meters
+
Hand-held meters ExStik® EC400
Conductivity / TDS / Salinity / Temperature
Meter
Features
• Measures conductivity, TDS, salinity, and temperature
• 8 selectable unit: µS, mS, ppm, ppt, mg/L, g/L, °C and °F
• Adjustable Conductivity to TDS ratio factor from 0.4 to 1.0
• Large 3-1/2 digit display w/analog bar graph indicating trends MODE
HOLD
• Data Hold, Auto Power off and low battery indication
• Automatic Temperature Compensation of 2% per degree
• Simultaneous display of Conductivity or TDS plus Temperature
• Internal memory stores up to 15 readings for easy recall
• Self calibration of electronics on power up
• Easy to replace Conductivity cell module
• Waterproof to IP57
• Starting at $104.99
• Kit option available (savings of $15)
Order strips from:
Omega.com

45. +

46. + OEPA Environmental Laboratory
Services
 Athens County Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
 (740) 385-8501
 http:// www.epa.state.oh.us/sedo/x_athens.htm.
 ODNR‘s Div. of Mineral Resources Management mission to regulate,
restore and protect requires regular laboratory analysis of samples to
monitor the safety of Ohio's citizens and environment. The DMRM
operates the Ohio EPA Drinking Water certified laboratories.
 OEPA 24-hr emergency response hotline 1-800-282-9378
 Accidental or unauthorized releases of contaminants to the air,
land or water such as spills, releases, intentional dumping or
emissions.

48. + Water Quality Resources
 Advocacy Groups:
 Environmental Working Group: www.ewg.org
 Citizens Campaignwww.citizenscampaign.org/campaigns/hydro-
fracking.asp
 Center for Health, Environment & Justice:
http://chej.org/nofracking/ohio/
 Ohio Chapter Sierra Club to join water monitoring:
 Ben.wickizer@sierraclub.org
 purplespirit@wildmail.com
 Local
resource for Athens water stream health- MYWATERS
Mapper:
 http://www.epa.gov/myenv/myenview2.html?minx=-
82.19627&miny=39.29499&maxx=-
82.00573&maxy=39.36271&ve=12,39.32850,-
82.10444&pSearch=Athens,%20OH

50. +
Taking Action, Keeping Safe
 Routinely run tests on tap water using test kits.
 Record baselines into data system.
 Remarkable values should be retested by a laboratory for a detailed
analysis.
 Consider testing water sources surrounding residential homes using
hand held meters and/or test kits provided by certified laboratory.
 Record detailed water data and report anything significant to EPA.
 Seek remedial efforts through local water company notifications and/or
independently for private water supplies.
 Contact Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources, EPA, advocacy groups.

52. +
Dr. Carter‘s Resources
 Josh Fox - http://www.gaslandthemovie.com/blog/?p=119
 USGS Science School - http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/gwdepletion.html
 Alliance Aquatic Resource Monitoring (ALLARM), Dickinson College, PA
 River Alert Information Network (RAIN) - www.3rain.org/education
 Mitchell, M. et al., ―Field Manual For Water Quality Monitoring‖ 1994
 American Natural Gas Alliance - www.anga.us
 Ohio EPA – www.epa.state.oh.us/
 HuffingtonPost - Green editors
 ―The Poison Beneath Us‖, Pro-Publica, 6-12-12
 Citizens Campaign
 http://www.citizenscampaign.org/campaigns/hydro-fracking.asp
 Sierra Club Ohio Chapter
 http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sierra-Club-Ohio-Chapter/342322600532