With the search for natural resources becoming more challenging, gas and oil drillers have turned to the Utica Shale as an area with promising prospects.
The organic rich nature of the shale rock in the Utica Shale makes it an ideal candidate for shale fracking, a popular method used in drilling. The Utica Shale is a stratigraphic area that stretches from West Virginia to New York, reaching as far north as Canada.
However, it’s the Eastern Ohio section of the Utica Shale that is currently being targeted by drillers, meaning that many Ohio residents may now, or may soon, experience water contamination issues due to fracking.
Why? Fracking involves the injection of a “fracking fluid”—a mixture made up of chemicals, sand, and water—into the wellbore of a drilling site. When this fluid is injected into the ground, it travels into the well thousands of feet below the surface until it reaches the shale rock. There, the pressure caused by the fluid causes the shale rock to fracture, loosening the gas or oil contained within the rock and causing it to flow more freely. Click here to learn more about the Fracking process.
While this practice has been regarded as effective for retrieving greater yields of gas and oil from drilling sites, there have been many reports of its negative effect on the environment and nearby water supplies.
Many of the chemicals used in fracking fluid have the potential to be hazardous to humans, should a person be exposed to them in large quantities or for extended periods of time.
Thousands of gallons of chemicals are used for each fracking, and while much of the fluid is retrieved after the process is completed, not all of it is removed. This leaves harmful chemicals in the ground that have the potential to seep into nearby drinking water. Find out more about the chemicals used in fracking.
If you live within the Utica Shale, you may even now be experiencing the effects from nearby fracking sites. In Medina, Ohio, drinking wells became so contaminated with natural gas they were deemed liable to explode if exposed to open flame.
Other Ohioans have complained of visibly dirty water due to nearby drilling.
Many fracking sites have already been erected, but if there is not one in your area, that may not be the case for long. Below is a list of Ohio counties inside the Utica Shale:
If you live in one of the counties listed below and are experiencing water contamination problems due to fracking, please take advantage of our Expert Water Testing offer. Harmful chemicals in your drinking water may or may not be detectable. A funny taste, odor, or appearance, as well as symptoms such as dizziness or stomach irritation may be signs that your water has been contaminated. Learn more about water affected by fracking.
We want to keep you and your family safe, and water purity is our specialty. Please contact Clearwater Systems to Schedule Water Testing and to discuss the possible treatment options to insure safe, pure water for your family.
