USGS Water Test in Wyoming Leads to Debate Over Possibility That Fracking Contaminated Water

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From The Hill:
Chemicals linked to hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," have been found again in the groundwater of a town in Wyoming that has become a flashpoint in the debate over the drilling practice. 
A U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) report found traces of methane, ethane and phenol in a monitoring well in rural Pavillion, Wyo., where residents say fracking has contaminated their drinking water.
Pavillion was thrust to the forefront of the fracking debate in December of 2011, when the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported finding groundwater contaminants in two wells there. That report, which drew harsh criticism from the natural-gas industry, represented the first time the U.S. government had made a connection between fracking and groundwater pollution.
Alisha Johnson, a spokeswoman with the EPA, told The Hill that the USGS findings are “generally consistent” with EPA’s earlier tests.
Read the rest of that article here.

Meanwhile, an Encana spokesperson says a close comparison of the test results show significant differences between the earlier test results from the EPA, which many fracktivists have continued to tout as proof that fracking contaminates water.

From Rigzone:
EPA has said that the USGS results are "generally consistent" with their own prior sampling, Hock noted. However, Encana's comparison of EPA's sampling of MW01 with the USGS sampling of the same well provides "a good reality check" on this statement.
A comparison of EPA reported detections in EPA Well MW01 and USGS results show that the USGS results are inconsistent with the EPA results on the levels of toluene, xylenes, isopropanol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, 2-Butoxyethanol and acetone. The USGS did not detect these in its tests.
For two components - potassium and DRO - the USGS results show significant decreases in concentrations versus the EPA results, according to a comparison by Encana of EPA and USGS data.
With regard to its claims related to hydraulic fracturing, EPA has contended that the elevated pH levels are due to potassium hydroxide, which is sometimes used in hydraulic fracturing. However, potassium hydroxide was not used in hydraulic fracturing jobs in the Pavilion field and would actually have been detrimental to the types of fracs done in the Pavilion, said Hock.
Read the rest of that article here.

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