The National Ground Water Association (NGWA) and the Ground Water Protection Council (GWPC) have collaborated on the production and release of a new brochure, according to WaterWorld. The brochure is designed to provide guidance on water testing to household water-well owners near oil and gas developments, with a particular focus on hydraulic fracturing sites.
“The brochure provides simple, clear guidance to well owners,” Cliff Treyens, the NGWA Public Awareness Director told the news source. “That’s what many well owners say they want. By also making the brochure available to state agencies and other groups, NGWA and GWPC can get this information to a wide audience of private well owners in oil- and gas-producing states.”
The effects of hydraulic fracturing on water quality remain up in the air, with proponents on both sides of the argument. According to a Cornell University City and Regional Planning report on the effects of hydraulic fracturing, if done properly, the process ultimately doesn’t negatively affect water quality. However, there are circumstances when something could go wrong, thus directly impacting the water around an area.
One potential problem is in the preparation of the drilling pad. According to Cornell University’s report, improper use of a drilling pad could lead to additives spilling into the water or toxic spillage from a faulty backflow preventer. Once the fracking fluid or natural gas has seeped into the ground, the water supply is immediately considered to be contaminated. In certain states such as Pennsylvania, if the water is found to be contaminated within 1,000 feet of a well, the drilling company is automatically considered “guilty until proven innocent.”
Even when armed with information supplied in the brochure, well owners should consider switching to bottleless water coolers from Quench. The innovative UV technology used by the coolers ensures that the water supply is not only delicious but healthy and uncontaminated.