Premium
The Threat From Hydrofracking
Author(s) -
Rush Paul V.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal ‐ american water works association
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.466
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1551-8833
pISSN - 0003-150X
DOI - 10.1002/j.1551-8833.2010.tb10185.x
Subject(s) - cites , jargon , water supply , oil and natural gas , drilling , oil drilling , petroleum industry , environmental planning , business , engineering , fossil fuel , environmental science , waste management , environmental engineering , mechanical engineering , linguistics , philosophy , fishery , biology
This article discusses how, in little more than two years, hydrofracking has gone from obscure oil industry jargon to perhaps the greatest threat the New York City water supply faces today. Hydrofracking, the practice of drilling for natural gas using high‐volume hydraulic fracturing, uses chemicals that pose a threat to the unfiltered, freshwater supply for New York City. The article cites information from a one‐year study conducted through a joint venture of Hazen & Sawyer and Legett, Brashears & Graham. This assessment was completed in December 2009 and has been used to evaluate the supplemental environmental review conducted by New York State and to support the city's position on natural gas drilling in the watershed. The risk assessment also reports on the potential threat to the New York City water supply infrastructure due to the horizontal drilling required in hydrofracking. The lack of regulatory control, and secondary impacts from the hydrofracking practice are also discussed.