Have you REALLY tasted your water lately?
To drill. To penetrate. To cut. To frack.
Have you really tasted your water lately?
My name is Annie Hopkins and I am currently a senior at St. Lawrence University in Northern New York. I am excited to be exploring North Country issues, specifically focusing on the environment. As a Global Studies Major, this blog will allow me to share my perspectives and link my research to broader issues on a global context.
*image found on google: Think Before You Frack
Take a close look at this cartoon. Have you ever heard of the term hydro-fracking? How about the film “Gas Land?” Unfortunately, hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is an everyday reality for many communities throughout New York State. The North Country is no exception. Hydrofracking is a drilling method used to extract natural gas resources found underneath faults and shale rock. The technology being used includes dangerous hyrdro carbons, like benzene and diesel fuel, to assist in the drilling process.
The issues at hand span into both environmental and government threats. According to OnEarth Magazine’s John Zieger, the basics of hydrofracking begin with, “corporations drill[ing] vertically down several thousand feet to get into the Marcellus shale formation, and then drill[ing] horizontally for more than a mile through the shale layer. Since the gas is trapped in fragmented pockets of the shale, the companies use a special fluid to extract it” ( http://www.onearth.org/blog/no-fracking-way-ban-hydrofracking-in-ny). From the drilling process, the environment is exposed to dangerous chemicals and water resources are extracted from communities and contaminated, causing health issues among humans and animals.
New York State has many faults and the shale contains millions of gallons of natural gas. In Upstate New York, many are arguing whether hydrofracking should be continued, if not expanded. Many environmental groups and communities think otherwise. The New York State Government, according to the New York Times, predicts that “the number of wells developed per year could range from 413 to 2,462, the report said, and could generate from 4,408 to 26,316 full-time construction jobs. The report predicts another 1,790 to 10,673 new jobs in production, along with added employment in retail and other economic areas” (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/08/nyregion/albany-study-shows-hydrofrackings-risks-and-rewards.html). This seems to be the only motivator to continue fracking, but the environmental risks outweigh unemployment.
From a long-term perspective, hydro-fracking will decrease the purity of New York’s water supply and disrupt natural environmental processes along the way. Some personal recommendations to better hydrofracking, especially for individuals living near drilling sites, would include upgraded technology and reducing levels of contaminants in fracking liquids. Upgraded technology can include data analysis of sites to survey and drill around water sites to limit water contamination. The fracking liquids used can be reduced, switching to a low volume of non-toxic chemicals.
Specifically, hydrofracking is an issue of the North Country due to the contamination of local water used for everyday life. If water supplies in the North Country are contaminated, it is only a matter of time for a bad chain reaction to occur. Farm animals, humans, and crops would be the first to be affected. Who knows what the long-term consequences will be, but one thing is certain: hydrofracking is shifting our environment and the one’s who are going to face the problems that will eventually arrive, will be us.