June 23, 2011
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced the next steps in its congressionally mandated hydraulic fracturing study. EPA has identified seven case studies to help inform the assessment of potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources.
One site selected is the Barnett Shale in North Texas. In the Haynesville Shale area EPA will monitor the hydraulic fracturing process before construction and throughout the process of drilling. While in the Barnett Shale area, EPA will assess existing sites for possible drinking water contamination and attempt to determine possible pathways for contamination to reach water resources.
The collected information will include a literature review, data from state governments, industry and communities, laboratory work and computer modeling.
The Barnett Shale is part of the Fort Worth Basin and covers approximately 24 counties in the North Texas area.
Also, the Haynesville Shale was selected as another case study site and is more than 10,000 feet deep and encompasses parts of Northwestern Louisiana, Southwest Arkansas and East Texas.
To ensure the Agency maintains the current timeline for the study, the EPA will begin field work in some of the selected regions this summer.
For a copy of the draft study plan and additional information: http://www.epa.gov/hydraulicfracturing