Hydraulic Fracturing Water Usage: Activist Perceptions And The Controversial Technique
Fitch, Michael 1
1 University of Colorado at Boulder
Natural gas extraction in the United States has seen a dramatic increase over the last ten years due in large part hydraulic fracturing (fracking). In particular, Colorado has been a part of this increase in natural gas development, including in Boulder County. Hydraulic fracturing uses large amounts of water, between 2 and 8 million gallons (about as much water as 10,000 to 80,000 homes would use each day) every time a well is fractured (Ehrenberg 2012). Due to the large amount of water used there have been many questions about the effects hydraulic fracturing has on the water it uses and nearby bodies of water. There have been correlations between increases in hydraulic fracturing and increased methane contamination of drinking water (Osborne et al. 2011). Parallel to the increased use of hydraulic fracturing has been an increase in social activism against hydraulic fracturing. This activism has led to the passage of a ban on hydraulic fracturing by the citizens of Longmont, Colorado. For my research I interviewed members of various activist groups located in Boulder County (including in Longmont) about their efforts and motivations. There are a variety of issues around hydraulic fracturing that have been common concerns of activists, one of which has been the use of water. This presentation will evaluate how significant the water use issue is to Boulder County activists, thus illuminating its role in the controversy around hydraulic fracturing. Furthermore, this presentation will discuss whether any changes in the technique of hydraulic fracturing would decrease the opposition of activists to hydraulic fracturing.
Ehrenberg, Rachel, 2012, The facts behind the frack: Science News, v. 8, n. 5, p. 20. Available at http://www.sciencenews.org/view/feature/id/343202/title/The_Facts_Behind_the_Frack.
Osborn, Stephen G.; Vengosh, Avner; Warner, Nathaniel R.; Jackson, Robert B., 2011, Methane contamination of drinking water accompanying gas-well drilling and hydraulic fracturing: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, v. 108, p. 8172-8176.