GLENWOOD SPRINGS (AP) – Two recently released reports appear to
add weight to fears that the natural-gas extraction process of
hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” can contaminate aquifers
and other sources of fresh water for homes and towns. One
regional oil and gas industry official, however, scoffed at the
findings. “There is a big difference between those who practice
science and those who purchase science,” said David Ludlam,
executive director of the Western Slope Colorado Oil and Gas
Association in Grand Junction. Both reports were prepared by
independent hydrologist Tom Myers, Ph.D., of Reno, Nev., whose
clients include government agencies and environmental groups.
One report, issued April 30, summed up Myers’ assessment of the
Environmental Protection Agency’s investigation into water-well
contamination in 2010 and 2011 in the area around Pavillion,
Wyo., a region of extensive natural-gas drilling activity. The
EPA, in a report issued in December 2011, found that groundwater
in the region probably wa