Just when you thought that perhaps the powers that be “got it” about keeping water cleaner, or are at least making the effort to keep it uncontaminated, along comes the natural gas industry using a highly controversial extraction technology.
For years this “extraction” method has been kept a deep, dark secret from the public who has been merrily drinking water close to natural gas drilling sites, blissfully unaware of “fracking.” While this sounds like something a souped up jalopy might do when it backfires, it’s actually far more serious. People drinking the backflow water that has seeped through various aquifers have no idea what they are drinking, and unless they are using water distillers, they don’t have the “purest” water possible to protect their health.
Fracking, which stands for hydraulic fracturing, uses chemicals (that no one will name), water, plastic beads and/or sand directly into compressed rock. This opens cracks and releases the natural gas. Fracking has been used for a fair number of years to improve the output of natural gas wells. It’s the chemical part of this equation that has environmentalists worried about water supply contamination and just what people are consuming in their water. The only safe method of knowing you’re not drinking contaminated water is to use a water distiller.
While it may be too late for the water already contaminated by the “chemicals” in the fracking process, it isn’t too late yet to try and do something about future fracking. In order to “do” something about stopping the process, or altering it to something considered to be safer, the natural gas industry needs to name the chemicals. For those who are worried about drinking fracked contaminated tap water, your best alternative is to use water distillers to weed out harmful impurities in the water.
Industry officials have been making noises about being more transparent, but to date this vow has not been kept. The issue is coming to a head in light of spills of this chemical-laden water in Pennsylvania. It’s so controversial there that drillers are now starting to test the backflow water from the process for the presence of contaminants. Compare this controversy to buying a can of Dr. Pepper. While you don’t know the precise formula used to make it, you do know the precise ingredients that are in the final product.
Clean water activists are insisting the ingredients need to be made public and that something other than potentially toxic chemicals be used during the natural gas extraction process. The ultimate goal here would be to regulate the technique under the Safe Drinking Water Act. It’s sad that it took this long for the reality of people wanting clean drinking water to catch up with the industry.
The interesting point here is that while the industry is making noises about disclosing their chemicals, this doesn’t mean the disclosure may be verifiable nor is disclosure enough to protect our drinking water. In the meantime, rather than wait for the “news” on the chemicals being used which might be a while in coming, don’t rely on someone else to make your home water supply safe. Invest in home water distillers for the purest and safest water.
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