The Importance Of Fracking In California

Each year, at least 7.8 trillion gallons of water are drawn up from the Ogalla Aquifer to irrigate the crops planted on the High Plains. These cros are the main food sourrce for our entire country. Tragically, irrigation is depleting the aquifer faster than it can replenish itself, and that is the problem. In fact, only the tiniest fraction of the water is ever replaced in the Ogallala Aquifer. If the water were ever fully depleted, the aquifer would need 6,000 years to refill naturally (Zwingle 83). The only way the Ogalla can be replenished is by water seeping down through the layers of soil until it reaches the aquifer. This water comes from the small amount of precipitation in the region, as well as from streams, reservoirs, canals, and irrigation (McGuire and Sharpe).

Fracking has become a highly controversial and publicized topic in recent years due to rising concerns into the potential benefits and consequences of using hydraulic fracturing to retrieve natural gas and oil reserves. With concerns over water pollution, mismanagement of toxic waste and irreversible environmental damage mounting, the practice of fracking has

Hydraulic fracturing in combination with advancement in directional drilling has made it possible to economically extract oil and gas from unconventional resources. The growth in U.S. oil and gas exploration and production made possible by the increase in use of hydraulic fracturing, has raised concerns about its potential to impact human health and the environment. Concerns have been raised by the public about the effects of hydraulic fracturing on quality and quantity of drinking water resources. The hydraulic fracturing water cycle includes five main activities: the withdrawal of ground or surface water needed for hydraulic fracturing fluids; the mixing of water, chemicals, and proppant on the well pad to create the hydraulic fracturing fluid; the injection of hydraulic fracturing fluids into the well to fracture the formation, the return of injected fluid and water produced from the formation to the surface; and the reuse, treatment and disposal of wastewater generated at the well pad, including produced water (U.S. EPA, 2015). With the water cycle being so massive and prolonged, the presence of potential negative impacts is greatly increased.

fluid 8,000 feet into the ground to extract oil and natural gasses from shale plays. Although fracking has been around for nearly 60 years, the controversy surrounding it didn’t begin until approximately 2008, when oil and natural gas in the United States hit an all-time low. As a result, we depended heavily upon other countries like Saudi Arabia for our oil. The situation was less than ideal and the U.S. was seeking new ways to gain independence. On December 19, 2007 the Energy Independence and Security Act was signed into legislation thus, marking the beginning of the search for natural gas and oil in the United States otherwise known as the “Fracking

California’s ideal weather would be rainy winters and dry summers, but that isn’t the case anymore. Many people are concerned and deeply worried about the world’s constant decrease in the fresh water supply and the social, economic, and environmental issues that are caused from this drought. A textbook definition of a drought is a prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall which results in a shortage of water, which is normal considering California has been given the title in its recent years the term drought since 2012. Even though being in a drought is nothing new to California, for the past three years it has experienced severe drought conditions in the

Hydraulic fracturing or fracking has been around since the 1940’s, (Choma, et al, 2016), additionally it involves a large amount of pressurized water that has also been mixed with sand and other toxic chemicals to force shale gas out of deep rock formations (Deveau, 2014). The sand and supplementary chemicals are used to ensure that the fractures will remain accessible, to ensure that the oil and gas can flow back to the surface (Wheeler, 2015). There are two main types of hydraulic fracturing: vertical and horizontal (Choma, et al, 2016). Vertical fracking is the conventional method of drilling straight down into the earth’s crust, compared to horizontal fracking which allows the well to take place laterally (Choma, et al, 2016). The mix

One of the most highly debated topics in the gas industry is hydraulic fracking. News about it is on the radio, tv and all over the internet. The truth about hydraulic fracking can be hard to find but is imperative to know the truth. The U.S Energy Information Administration estimates that the United States has 2,119 trillion cubic feet of recoverable gas. They predict that 60% of this gas is “unconventional gas” that is stored in low permeability formations such as shale, coalbeds, and tight sands (Jackson, 2011).

Hydraulic fracturing was first invented in 1997 and is basically a technique and form of mining. Rather than searching for solid minerals such as copper, silver or gold. When it comes to fracturing, the real money comes in from the shale gas. Shale gas is a natural gas found underneath Earth’s surface within the cracks and crevices of the rock walls.

Hydraulic fracking is one of the major fossil fuel industries in areas with large shale basins. It has led to a multitude of arguments over safety and environmental factors. With all of the new and safer processes to retrieve natural gas on the rise, there should be no reason why hydrofracking can’t become one of the nations largest producers of fossil

During the fracking process, it is possible that chemicals such as methane leech out of the well and enter groundwater nearby, causing the water to become contaminated. “Water contamination could also occur if a well is improperly installed, if chemicals are spilled from trucks or tanks, or if flowback is not effectively contained” (Source A). Pipes can leak and contaminate drinking water in which the water can seep through the leaks and get into the aquifers. Two significant dangers of

Water is one of the main resources that nature has provided us with. Even though humans use this as a survival tool, there are many luxuries that water provides us, such as using it clean efficient way to produce energy and for agriculture. In order for hydraulic fracturing to successfully work, you must have one the key component which is water! Each fracturing gas well requires an average of 400 tanker tracks to carry water and supplies. The water that’s brought in the factory is mixed with sand and other chemicals such as Lead, Uranium,

Hydraulic fracturing in combination with advancement in directional drilling has made it possible to economically extract oil and gas from unconventional resources. The growth in U.S. oil and gas exploration and production made possible by the increase in use of hydraulic fracturing, has raised concerns about its potential to impact human health and the environment. Concerns have been raised by the public about the effects of hydraulic fracturing on quality and quantity of drinking water resources. The hydraulic fracturing water cycle includes five main activities: the withdrawal of ground or surface water needed for hydraulic fracturing fluids; the mixing of water, chemicals, and proppant on the well pad to create the hydraulic fracturing fluid; the injection of hydraulic fracturing fluids into the well to fracture the formation, the return of injected fluid and water produced from the formation to the surface; and the reuse, treatment and disposal of wastewater generated at the well pad, including produced water (U.S. EPA, 2015). With the water cycle being so massive and prolonged, the presence of potential negative impacts is greatly increased.

The first step is to install a 20-inch wellhead, which keeps the hole open to a depth of 30 meters. But once that 's done, the team needs to drag all the piping back up to the surface so it can install a drill bit, about 8 inches around, on the end. Then it lowers the whole assembly back into the water, where the

During fracturing when pressurized water is used to crack the formation containing the unconventional oil and gas a lot of water is consumed in breaking that formation and getting the access to the hidden oil and gas resources. The clean water consumption in the process of fracturing is very much which can result in shortage of clean and drinking water. The shortage of clean and drinking water can result in water drought. All the living creatures need water for their survival. The shortage or abundance of clean and drinking water can become a serious problem if a lot of water is used in fracturing. The extraction of energy resource at the loss or wastage of another very important resource is not a very smart solution.

Calculating 260 eight-hour days annually, the first well drilled on a well pad needs 13.1 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers and subsequent wells drilled on the same pad require 9.7 FTE. Once wells are in production lots fewer workers are required: Only 0.17 FTE annually, per well [Marcellus Shale Education and Training Center, 2011] 4. Oil and gas drilling companies can broadly be divided into various branches namely: operators (contracting lease owners) drilling sub-contractors, and well servicing (i.e., hydraulic fracturing) sub-contractors. These companies can also be divided by number of employees (<20), medium (20–99), and large (100+) [Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2009] 5.