Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Hindsight is 20/20

by Jane Griffin, Groundwater Foundation President

While it is great to learn from history it doesn’t work so well when your mission is to protect. Protection implies proactive efforts, not clean up.

Unfortunately, remediating unintended consequences is a big part of our efforts. Look at what we are finding after decades of flushing pharmaceuticals down the drain.

Now, questions are arising regarding the procedure of hydraulic fracturing for natural gas; or fracking as it is often referred to.

What chemicals are being released that could contaminate groundwater supplies? What implications will this have on water quality and quantity?

Organizations are mobilizing to study and predict the implications. But will the demand for natural gas continue to grow at a rate that precludes adequate studies and prevention measures to be put in place?

Information about the procedure is already out there. We at The Groundwater Foundation believe that knowledge is the first tool towards protection, so take a couple of minutes to educate yourself about the procedure - make yourself aware of what is happening, because it is important to you. It’s the water you drink. It’s the water that grows your food; the water that recharges your streams and lakes.

Here are a couple of excellent resources:
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/10/101022-breaking-fuel-from-the-rock/
http://water.epa.gov/type/groundwater/uic/class2/hydraulicfracturing/index.cfm

If you have any further information about fracking please share it with us!

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