Oops! Study Confirms CA Aquifers Contaminated W. Billions Of Gallons Of Fracking Wastewater

[hatrack]

After California state regulators shut down 11 fracking wastewater injection wells last July over concerns that the wastewater might have contaminated aquifers used for drinking water and farm irrigation, the EPA ordered a report within 60 days. It was revealed yesterday that the California State Water Resources Board has sent a letter to the EPA confirming that at least nine of those sites were in fact dumping wastewater contaminated with fracking fluids and other pollutants into aquifers protected by state law and the federal Safe Drinking Water Act.

The letter, a copy of which was obtained by the Center for Biological Diversity, reveals that nearly 3 billion gallons of wastewater were illegally injected into central California aquifers and that half of the water samples collected at the 8 water supply wells tested near the injection sites have high levels of dangerous chemicals such as arsenic, a known carcinogen that can also weaken the human immune system, and thallium, a toxin used in rat poison.

Timothy Krantz, a professor of environmental studies at the University of Redlands, says these chemicals could pose a serious risk to public health: “The fact that high concentrations are showing up in multiple water wells close to wastewater injection sites raises major concerns about the health and safety of nearby residents.”

The full extent of the contamination is not yet known. Regulators at the State Water Resources Board said that as many as 19 other injection wells could have been contaminating protected aquifers, and the Central Valley Water Board has so far only tested 8 of the nearly 100 nearby water wells.

EDIT

http://www.desmogblog.com/2014/10/07/central-california-aquifers-contaminated-billions-gallons-fracking-wastewater

[Scuba]

1. Will fracking end before the last drop of water is contaminated?

[Dont call me Shirley]

3. They will not stop, like Charlton Heston said about his gun, we will have to pry it from their

cold dead hands. The rich have utterly no self-control , no sense of responsibility, and no caring connection to anyone or anything.

[billhicks76]

24. The Frackers Need To Go Tp Prison

Time to let out the victimless drug offenders and make room for the assholes that are assaulting us and our children with poison...this should be a felonious violent crime.

[rhett o rick]

30. So should our elected representatives that are either endorsing fracking or looking the other way.

I think Pres Obama endorses fracking.

[Uben]

2. Its happening everywhere

Oil people don't give a shit about the water supply, only the oil supply. They don't make money off of water. If you knew what they were pumping into the ground, you'd be shocked

[littlemissmartypants]

9. Oh, but they do care about that water supply.

That's what they will be selling us next. H20. They are intentionally fracking it up for that very reason. Just ask Pepsi and Coca Cola. Those plastic bottles gotta be made out of something.

[loudsue]

19. Bingo. "Privatized water" is the wet dream of the 1%

Assholes.

[JDPriestly]

23. I saw a video of a Nestle's executive in Switzerland talking excitedly about it.

We have to stop them.

Vote for Warren or Sanders for 2016.

Vote this November for progressive Democrats. The Republicans will wake up to discover they were wrong. We need to push now to get progressives who believe in science in Congress, the White House and the courthouse.

[rhett o rick]

31. Yup and the they will furnish the so-called water. They'll probably mix it with corn syrup

so you don't notice the petroleum taste.

Why are so many Democrats avoiding this issue?

[Nihil]

47. Q: "Why are so many Democrats avoiding this issue?"

A1: Because it is contrary to the party line supported by Obama.
A2: Because it is contrary to the party line supported by Clinton.
A3: Because they don't care.
A4: Because they are making money from fossil fuel investments/jobs/bribes.
A5: Because - like the general public - they are too easily distracted by shiny shit.
A6: All of the above.

[silverweb]

41. Exactly!

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]And next they'll figure out a way to force us to buy breathable air from them.

[gristy]

4. Who could have known that injecting fracking wastewater into the ground would contaminate aquifers?

[hatrack]

5. Yeah, shocking, huh?

[freshwest]

29. Not to me. Grew up around the oil industry. They suck as far as the environment is concerned.

They always have. They count on operating in areas without much oversight. Then they flee like chemical companies do, like thieves in the night when anything goes wrong. Or change their names. They're real big on that particular scam.

They exaggerate their power to keep the world economy going. They've got millions brainwashed into thinking that they must have their product to survive. Literally millions of people think there is no alternative.

I'm glad people are getting away from them and to see reports like this to point out what's essential to maintaing whatever it is that people need.

Water is number one on that list, behind oxygen and above food as needed to simply be alive. It's way ahead of shelter, work or anything else.

[ReRe]

6. K&R for exposure

Oh, that's just lovely. CA has no water already, and what little they have is being contaminated. Well, I guess we will see what CA does in reaction to this.

[EEO]

7. It takes just tablespoons of machine oil to contaminate a ship's fresh water supply.

I'm sure it's all fine. The West is on course for a massive water crisis. Get those desalination plants built. Oh wait, we only govern by crisis (and often not even that) so that won't be happening.

[littlemissmartypants]

8. Kicking. Thank you. nt

[malthaussen]

10. I predict that the next announcement will be that the contamination is insignificant.

Nothing to worry about. Just a spoonful of methane. You'll barely taste it.

-- Mal

[Nihil]

48. If only it was just the methane going into the drinking water.

Sadly, this is the fracking chemicals themselves ... toxic, radioactive, carcinogenic shit that
is being protected by the corporations & their government puppets as "commercially secrets".

[on point]

11. Take ALL their revenue, plus fine them 50% more. That will stop them

[Saviolo]

20. Exactly...

nothing will change until the penalties are actually punitive. As long as they can write fines off in a ledger as a line item they barely notice, it is more cost effective for them to dump into the water supply.

[valerief]

25. Who will take it? They own everyone who can. nt

[Jackpine Radical]

28. Yeah. All it would take

is to convince the Koch Bros. to back some politicians who would do that.

[rhett o rick]

32. Who is going to do that? The President supports fracking. Few Democratic elected officials

oppose fracking if any. Who is going to stand up to the fracking frackers?

[L0oniX]

40. We're fracked!

[rhett o rick]

42. The corporations are going to poison our water, then sell us water. CAPITALISM. nm

[SpankMe]

12. Measure P in Santa Barbara County, CA

Measure P would ban any new fracking in the county. Existing fracking operations could continue, and other forms of oil extraction (admittedly less effective) would not be banned.

The "No on P" crew are claiming the same old tired crap: It'll cost jobs; it'll make America dependent on foreign oil; it'll reduce tax revenues for fire fighting, cops, etc. - blah, blah, blah. To which I say: so what? We need to attract other industries to the county that will create jobs and keep the tax dollars rolling in - but in a way that doesn't have the potential to devastate the ground water, use up acre-feet of freshwater and fuck the environment in general. We're heavy ag, here. We need that water for other purposes.

Leave the oil extraction and environmental devastation in North Dakota and Texas, where it belongs.

The No on P side is winning the debate right now with hyperbole and distorted information. The Yes on P hasn't been doing much in terms of getting the message out.

[Robert24]

13. Frack

Is this the time we say, "I told you so"?

[oldandhappy]

14. Put this on my FB page just to spread the story.

Hope you will spread the story your own way. This is OUR water.

[Kablooie]

15. There are still hundreds fracked wells running

and new ones are being fracked constantly.
The ones shut down were a minuscule amount.

[RufusTFirefly]

16. Oh well! Accidents happen!

[Stainless]

17. I Remember These Words From 40 Plus Years Ago -

Paraphrasing - "It isn't Pollution Ladies and Gentlemen, It's Chemical Warfare". I must try to find the source.

Fracking is particularly repugnant and disgusting.

[ZombieHorde]

18. K&R&NT

[progressoid]

21. Yay! I just filled up for 2.99 a gallon!

Isn't fracking great!!

[rhett o rick]

33. Depends. Were you filling up your water supply?

[JDPriestly]

22. K&R.

Fracking should not be allowed in California. Our water is too scarce and too precious.

It almost never rains in California.

[rhett o rick]

34. Seems it never rains in Southern California Seems I've often heard that kind of talk before

It never rains in California, but girl, don't they warn ya
It pours, man, it pours"

Everyone's water is precious.

[blkmusclmachine]

26. POISON

[Ampersand Unicode]

27. Where's Erin Brockovich when you need her?

Or the guy from Mass. that John Travolta played in A Civil Action.

Where have you gone, Jan Schlictmann? A dying planet turns its lonely eyes to you.

[littlemissmartypants]

44. Erin is currently fighting for women and families affected by Essure.

Sold to women's doctors as "the new tubal" permanent birth control device #Essure is being found to be migrating in the abdomens of those having had the procedure. Read more here about the evil Essure being implanted in women worldwide.
http://www.essureprocedure.net/news/

http://www.essureprocedure.net/

[whereisjustice]

35. simple solution, make the families of oil/gas executives drink that water for next 30 years eom

[PatrickforO]

36. But hey,

Fracking is GOOD for California.

That's what the Koch brothers commercials tell us here in Colorado. Oh, they say, fracking is GOOD for Colorado!

But let's think that through, shall we? Fracking is good for increasing the profits of oil companies. At best, at BEST, fracking, if it is done perfectly and absolutely safely, is NEUTRAL for the rest of us. The only thing we get out of it is more oil. Maybe we should develop a plan to dramatically reduce carbon emissions, beef up solar and wind power generation and try and wean ourselves off oil, gas and especially coal as quickly as possible.

[L0oniX]

39. Silly. Those commercials are for the rich people and investor class viewing audience.

[FlatStanley]

37. Fracking is part of our clean energy suite

[L0oniX]

38. So what food crops will be taking in that shit and ending up on Walmart food store shelves?

[quakerboy]

43. Well thank goodness theres no

drought, or this might be awkward...

[pa28]

45. Well let's be fair. NOBODY could have predicted that.

[LynneSin]

46. Was that Fracking wastewater drilled with a Susan G Komen Pink Drill Bit??

http://www.bustle.com/articles/43441-for-susan-g-komen-nothing-says-breast-cancer-awareness-like-fracking

[Nihil]

49. Good job that there isn't a drought or anything ...

Anyway, what's California moaning about? Anyone would think that this is the only
state where fracking is happening but do you hear the others making a fuss about
their polluted drinking water?

No, of course not, (well, not on mainstream media anyway).


> ... shut down 11 fracking wastewater injection wells last July ...
> ... ordered a report within 60 days ...
> ... It was revealed yesterday ...
> ... has sent a letter to the EPA ...

Nothing quite like a sense of urgency when it involves matters of importance.

[Enthusiast]

50. What's the prob? They can still use the water for irrigation. On, you know, grapes, avocados,

lettuce and other stuff. Problem solved, baby!

[aquart]

51. Fracking must be suspended for duration of drought.

[Helen Borg]

52. Freaking fracking!

[OKIsItJustMe]

53. Tests Find Elevated Arsenic, Thallium Levels in Nearby Water Wells

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2014/fracking-10-06-2014.html

[Champion Jack]

54. Injecting lubricants under extreme pressure into known fault lines?

What could go wrong?