Hydraulic fracturing - a hazard for drinking water
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Publication Details
Output type: Journal article
Author list: Ewers, Gordalla, Frimmel
Publisher: Georg Thieme Verlag
Publication year: 2013
Volume number: 75
Issue number: 11
Start page: 735
End page: 741
Number of pages: 7
ISSN: 0941-3790
eISSN: 1439-4421
Languages: German-Germany (DE-DE)
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Open access status: closed
Abstract
Hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is a technique used to release and promote the extraction of natural gas (including shale gas, tight gas, and coal bed methane) from deep natural gas deposits. Among the German public there is great concern with regard to the potential environmental impacts of fracking including the contamination of ground water, the most important source of drinking water in Germany. In the present article the risks of ground water contamination through fracking are discussed. Due to the present safety requirements and the obligatory geological and hydrogeological scrutiny of the underground, which has to be performed prior to fracking, the risk of ground water contamination by fracking can be regarded as very low. The toxicity of chemical additives of fracking fluids is discussed. It is recommended that in the future environmental impact assessment and approval of fracs should be performed by the mining authorities in close cooperation with the water authorities. Furthermore, it is recommended that hydraulic fracturing in the future should be accompanied by obligatory ground water monitoring.
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