Mixing Oil and Water Photos by Joshua Doubek
by Colleen Morgan
Water tanks preparing for a frac job
L
ouisiana has a long history with the oil and gas industry – a relationship that many see as one-sided. Some would say the industry has exploited the region’s natural resources for record profits, but hasn’t kept its side of the bargain by cleaning up the mess it makes in the course of doing business. A case in point is the lawsuit filed by the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority – East against the industry, claiming that it is responsible for at least 36% of the wetlands loss along the coast, which makes it harder to protect New Orleans and surrounding areas.
The Issue is Water
Concerns about how we extract fossil fuel for energy are germinating about a
technique called hydraulic fracturing or “fracking,” which is gaining momentum in Louisiana and elsewhere. In this process natural gas is extracted from the earth using directional drilling. Southeast Louisiana has so far not seen this method, but may see it soon. With over 1000 fracking wells in operation in Louisiana, the controversial subject has made its way into the agendas of events across New Orleans, including the recent Environmental Law Summit at Tulane University. At issue is drinking water supplies, which activists claim are at risk of being compromised because the process requires pipe to be drilled miles below the surface and up to two miles horizontally through the shale. Oftentimes these pipes
run through the groundwater aquifer, which is close to the surface, and in that section are encased in cement and steel pipe in order to protect it. To get the fuel out of the formation, huge quantities of water, sand and chemicals are pumped into the ground. An estimated 20 percent comes back to the surface after the fracking - called flowback or produced water - which is filled with salt, chemicals, heavy metals and low-level radiation. Most of this water is transported off site and injected into the ground at a waste disposal well. Dr. Barry Stevens of TBD America reported at the Tulane environmental law summit that a typical shale well in Pennsylvania uses 80,000 gallons of water for drilling, 2.8 million gallons for fracking, and one million gallons returns to the surface – requiring 200 trucks to transport it to disposal sites. In smaller towns in water-starved areas, this can be a problem, along with the surge in population and increase in truck traffic that puts a burden on the infrastructure. Andrew Williams of the Environmental Defense Fund, at the same summit’s panel on fracking, discussed storage, transportation, treatment, and disposal issues related to water use in fracking – which is a huge cost for the drillers. He noted that treatment of the water is possible, but it raises the costs. Elizabeth Nolan from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection provided statistics on the enormous increase in fracking in her state in recent years – well inspections increased from 2344 to
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