A new peer-reviewed study by government scientists finds that hydraulic fracturing chemicals that leaked from surface pits along Acorn Fork Creek in Kentucky in 2007 caused a sharp, sudden rise in acidity and saltiness in downstream waters and killed off or harmed local fish populations along a 2-kilometer stretch of the creek.
The study, published this month in Southeastern Naturalist, may be the first report of the effects of so-called "fracking" fluids on aquatic animals. Avner VengoshProfessor of Geochemistry and Water QualityDuke University’s Nicholas School of the Environmentvengosh@duke.eduhttp://fds.duke.edu/db/Nicholas/eos/faculty/vengoshAn expert on environmental and aqueous geochemistry, isotope hydrology, water quality and salinization of water resources, Vengosh has been investigating the potential water-quality impacts of hydraulic fracturing and shale gas production for more than three years; he and his colleagues have published four peer-reviewed papers on the topic.Quote:"In most cases, flowback and produced waters associated with shale gas exploration, particularly from the Marcellus Shale, are highly saline -- about ten times the salinity of seawater -- and they contain high levels of toxic metals and naturally occurring radioactivity. The discharge or leaking of such waters would inevitably result in contamination and destruction of the biological system. The capacity of a water system to deal with such contamination would depend on the dilution factor. "Right now, Duke scientists are working to evaluate the long-term effects on the ambient environment of a spill or a discharge site associated with hydraulic fracturing. We are establishing the geochemical tools for characterization the hydraulic fracturing geochemical fingerprints -- so we can confirm if contamination occurs directly from hydraulic fracturing fluids and/or other sources." _ _ _ _ Duke experts on a variety of other topics can be found at http://newsoffice.duke.edu/resources-media/faculty-experts.