Hydraulic Fracturing: An unregulated danger to our nation's drinking water

September 29, 2009

Hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," is a resource extraction method used to break down underground rock formations to release natural gas or oil. To release gas trapped within thin layers of rock, natural gas producers inject a pressurized mixture of water, sand, and chemical into oil or gas wells or coalmine methane beds, a process that breaks down the formations and allows the gas to flow.

The technique is employed in 90% of oil and gas operation throughout the United States on both public and private lands, which induces concerns about the chemicals used in fracking, and the impact of the process on our lands and in our water.

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Diagram: Fracking diagram. Courtesy Geology.com.