(Page 2 of 2) However, the study more reassuringly “found no
evidence for contamination of the shallow wells near active
drilling sites from deep brines and/or fracturing fluids.” In
any case, should their findings stand up to subsequent research,
the problem is not fracking, but improperly sealed well-casings.
It should be noted that the wells were not tested for methane
before gas drilling began. It would be interesting to repeat the
study looking at conventional gas wells. But what about
radioactive contamination of streams by well waste water? The
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection announced
that after checking samples from waste water plants that had
treated gas well water, it found that “all samples were at or
below background levels of radioactivity; and all samples showed
levels below the federal drinking water standard for Radium 226
and 228.” With regard to using too much fresh water, Ridley
points out that gas drilling in Pennsylvania uses about 60
million gallons per day, which co