EPA retesting finds fracking-related groundwater contamination at Wyoming site

EPA retesting finds fracking-related groundwater contamination at Wyoming site by Evan Weese, October 1, 2012, Business First
A new round of government sampling shows groundwater contamination from fracking at a Wyoming gas field, although some say the study is inconclusive, Associated Press reports. The U.S. EPA says results from the testing of a Wyoming gas field owned by Calgary-based Encana Corp. confirm what the agency found last year. The EPA had suggested fracking had affected the groundwater below the Pavillion field based on low potassium levels and the detection of potassium hydroxide. No analysis accompanied the newest round of data, collected in April. Encana has been critical of the reliability of the EPA testing, saying the agency failed to drill reliable wells.

Hydrogeologist David Yoxtheimer, of Penn State University’s Marcellus Initiative for Outreach and Research, said groundwater investigations are generally insubstantial to draw conclusions. And while the Natural Resources Defense Council said the study reinforces concerns, the EPA has said that findings at the Pavillion field don’t apply to fracking in general because it has unique geology and operations were unusually close to home water wells, AP reports. [Emphasis added]

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