California Halts Injection of Fracking Waste, Warning it May Be Contaminating Aquifers

[G_j]

http://www.propublica.org/article/ca-halts-injection-fracking-waste-warning-may-be-contaminating-aquifers?utm_campaign=bt_twitter&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social

State’s drought has forced farmers to rely on groundwater, even as California aquifers have been intentionally polluted due to exemptions for oil industry.

by Abrahm Lustgarten
ProPublica, July 18, 2014, 11:50 a.m.

California officials have ordered an emergency shut-down of 11 oil and gas waste injection sites and a review more than 100 others in the state's drought-wracked Central Valley out of fear that companies may have been pumping fracking fluids and other toxic waste into drinking water aquifers there.

The state's Division of Oil and Gas and Geothermal Resources on July 7 issued cease and desist orders to seven energy companies warning that they may be injecting their waste into aquifers that could be a source of drinking water, and stating that their waste disposal "poses danger to life, health, property, and natural resources." The orders were first reported by the Bakersfield Californian, and the state has confirmed with ProPublica that its investigation is expanding to look at additional wells.

The action comes as California's agriculture industry copes with a drought crisis that has emptied reservoirs and cost the state $2.2 billion this year alone. The lack of water has forced farmers across the state to supplement their water supply from underground aquifers, according to a study released this week by the University of California Davis.

The problem is that at least 100 of the state's aquifers were presumed to be useless for drinking and farming because the water was either of poor quality, or too deep underground to easily access. Years ago, the state exempted them from environmental protection and allowed the oil and gas industry to intentionally pollute them. But not all aquifers are exempted, and the system amounts to a patchwork of protected and unprotected water resources deep underground. Now, according to the cease and desist orders issued by the state, it appears that at least seven injection wells are likely pumping waste into fresh water aquifers protected by the law, and not other aquifers sacrificed by the state long ago.

..more..

[LiberalEsto]

1. I posted this yesterday

http://www.democraticunderground.com/112772638

[Little Star]

2. Scary.....

Frackers can't even safely dispose of their radioactive oil filter socks much less keep our aquifers safe.
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/03/12/3395601/radioactive-oil-socks-found/

Greedy bastids!

[DirkGently]

3. Mmm. Injecting waste into aquifers. What could possibly

... go wrong?

[No Vested Interest]

4. Is anything being done re desalinization of ocean water in California?

I realize that's a most expensive means of procuring water, but, nonetheless, California has an immense shoreline with the entire Pacific Ocean beyond.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

5. A transcontinental pipeline for WATER would be a hell of a lot cheaper.

[No Vested Interest]

9. Fresh water is in short supply everywhere on this continent.

The Great Lakes, the earth's largest supply of fresh water, are lower than usual, as well as belonging nearly 1/2 to Canada.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

12. That's good news for this guy....

Guess he doesn't need to buy higher boots after all.

[No Vested Interest]

13. Now, if only he can bottle and sell it.

As an aside, in my Midwestern city, with no water shortage, a city councilman has seriously suggested that the city bottle and sell its water, to help keep down the rising water bills, which have been severely impacted due to required upgrades in sewer pipes.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

14. Wanna bet he owns stock in the place he suggests?

[No Vested Interest]

15. Aren't you the cynic! :) nt

[Spitfire of ATJ]

16. It's part of my charm.

[They_Live]

6. I thought they were also dumping frack waste

into the ocean in CA. Another bad idea.

[passiveporcupine]

7. Is this what it takes to get people to wake up

to the dangers of fracking? You have to wait until you are in a serious drought?

We will never learn.

[librechik]

8. bravo! now other states and then perhaps some REAL research

on the patented mineral solutions.

I hope it's not too late to make the frackers comply.

[joanbarnes]

10. 'Bout time, too bad drought disaster had to occur before someone used their head.

[Union Scribe]

11. Good on ya, California.

These damn fracking operations are the worst of all worlds: they keep us hooked on fossil fuels; they cause massive and lasting damage; and they don't even last that long output-wise, so there's eventually going to be a natural gas crash.

[Uncle Joe]

17. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, G_j.