SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
'Conclusive Link' Between Fracking, Aquifer Contamination Found in Texas
Scientists say water samples from Texas man's well show identical chemical signatures from nearby gas drilling operations
Jun 06, 2014
Independent scientists who have reviewed a water analysis conducted by state authorities of a Texas resident's drinking well say the chemical signatures found in the water may provide "the nation's first conclusive link" between fracking operations and aquifer contamination.
Though a state investigation--conducted by the Texas Railroad Commission in response to an official complaint filed by landowner and Parker County resident Steve Lipsky--said it found the chemical analysis of the water inconclusive, experts shown the results say the commission was simply wrong. "And not just by a little," reports local ABC-affiliate WFAA News who shared the results with several scientists, "but by a lot."
Lipsky said he has long believed that nearby hydraulic fracturing by the Range Resources company was to blame for the increasing amounts of methane and other chemicals in his drinking water. Since 2010, he says, growing amounts of methane have been seeping into the groundwater beneath his land - enough of it so that he can literally light the water coming out of his well on fire.
Range Resources says there is no connection between the methane in Lipsky's well and their drilling, but scientists shown the results from the water analysis--specifically one called an isotopic analysis--say the chemical composition shows they are an exact match to the gas being fracked at two nearby drilling sites--called Butler and the Teal--within the Barnett Shale deposit.
"The methane and ethane numbers from the Butler and Teal production are essentially exactly the same as from Lipsky's water well," said earth scientist Geoffrey Thyne of Wyoming, who reviewed the data for WFAA. "It tells me that the gas is the same, and that the gas in Lipsky's water well was derived from the Barnett formation."
And soil scientist Bryce Payne of Pennsylvania--who himself conducted testing Lipsky's water in 2013--agreed with that assessment and told WFAA the gas in Lipsky's water (referred to in the state's report as "well number 8") is clearly the result of fracking operations.
"The gas from well number 8 is coming from the Barnett and it's coming nearly straight from the Barnett," Payne said.
Thyne and Payne separately told WFAA that they believe the test results could represent the nation's first conclusive link between fracking and aquifer contamination, even if the state commission has so far refused to acknowledge the weight of the evidence.
"What we seem to have here is the first good example that that, in fact, is happening," said Thyne.
Watch the entire WFAA report as it aired for local Texas residents on Thursday night:
Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the name of the gas company. That error has been corrected.
_______________________________________
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Independent scientists who have reviewed a water analysis conducted by state authorities of a Texas resident's drinking well say the chemical signatures found in the water may provide "the nation's first conclusive link" between fracking operations and aquifer contamination.
Though a state investigation--conducted by the Texas Railroad Commission in response to an official complaint filed by landowner and Parker County resident Steve Lipsky--said it found the chemical analysis of the water inconclusive, experts shown the results say the commission was simply wrong. "And not just by a little," reports local ABC-affiliate WFAA News who shared the results with several scientists, "but by a lot."
Lipsky said he has long believed that nearby hydraulic fracturing by the Range Resources company was to blame for the increasing amounts of methane and other chemicals in his drinking water. Since 2010, he says, growing amounts of methane have been seeping into the groundwater beneath his land - enough of it so that he can literally light the water coming out of his well on fire.
Range Resources says there is no connection between the methane in Lipsky's well and their drilling, but scientists shown the results from the water analysis--specifically one called an isotopic analysis--say the chemical composition shows they are an exact match to the gas being fracked at two nearby drilling sites--called Butler and the Teal--within the Barnett Shale deposit.
"The methane and ethane numbers from the Butler and Teal production are essentially exactly the same as from Lipsky's water well," said earth scientist Geoffrey Thyne of Wyoming, who reviewed the data for WFAA. "It tells me that the gas is the same, and that the gas in Lipsky's water well was derived from the Barnett formation."
And soil scientist Bryce Payne of Pennsylvania--who himself conducted testing Lipsky's water in 2013--agreed with that assessment and told WFAA the gas in Lipsky's water (referred to in the state's report as "well number 8") is clearly the result of fracking operations.
"The gas from well number 8 is coming from the Barnett and it's coming nearly straight from the Barnett," Payne said.
Thyne and Payne separately told WFAA that they believe the test results could represent the nation's first conclusive link between fracking and aquifer contamination, even if the state commission has so far refused to acknowledge the weight of the evidence.
"What we seem to have here is the first good example that that, in fact, is happening," said Thyne.
Watch the entire WFAA report as it aired for local Texas residents on Thursday night:
Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the name of the gas company. That error has been corrected.
_______________________________________
Independent scientists who have reviewed a water analysis conducted by state authorities of a Texas resident's drinking well say the chemical signatures found in the water may provide "the nation's first conclusive link" between fracking operations and aquifer contamination.
Though a state investigation--conducted by the Texas Railroad Commission in response to an official complaint filed by landowner and Parker County resident Steve Lipsky--said it found the chemical analysis of the water inconclusive, experts shown the results say the commission was simply wrong. "And not just by a little," reports local ABC-affiliate WFAA News who shared the results with several scientists, "but by a lot."
Lipsky said he has long believed that nearby hydraulic fracturing by the Range Resources company was to blame for the increasing amounts of methane and other chemicals in his drinking water. Since 2010, he says, growing amounts of methane have been seeping into the groundwater beneath his land - enough of it so that he can literally light the water coming out of his well on fire.
Range Resources says there is no connection between the methane in Lipsky's well and their drilling, but scientists shown the results from the water analysis--specifically one called an isotopic analysis--say the chemical composition shows they are an exact match to the gas being fracked at two nearby drilling sites--called Butler and the Teal--within the Barnett Shale deposit.
"The methane and ethane numbers from the Butler and Teal production are essentially exactly the same as from Lipsky's water well," said earth scientist Geoffrey Thyne of Wyoming, who reviewed the data for WFAA. "It tells me that the gas is the same, and that the gas in Lipsky's water well was derived from the Barnett formation."
And soil scientist Bryce Payne of Pennsylvania--who himself conducted testing Lipsky's water in 2013--agreed with that assessment and told WFAA the gas in Lipsky's water (referred to in the state's report as "well number 8") is clearly the result of fracking operations.
"The gas from well number 8 is coming from the Barnett and it's coming nearly straight from the Barnett," Payne said.
Thyne and Payne separately told WFAA that they believe the test results could represent the nation's first conclusive link between fracking and aquifer contamination, even if the state commission has so far refused to acknowledge the weight of the evidence.
"What we seem to have here is the first good example that that, in fact, is happening," said Thyne.
Watch the entire WFAA report as it aired for local Texas residents on Thursday night:
Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the name of the gas company. That error has been corrected.
_______________________________________
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.