Hydraulic Fracturing for Oil and Gas: Impacts from the Hydraulic Fracturing Water Cycle on Drinking Water Resources in the United States

"This final report provides a review and synthesis of available scientific information concerning the relationship between hydraulic fracturing activities and drinking water resources in the United States.

The report is organized around activities in the hydraulic fracturing water cycle and their potential to impact drinking water resources.  The stages include: (1) acquiring water to be used for hydraulic fracturing (Water Acquisition), (2) mixing the water with chemical additives to prepare hydraulic fracturing fluids (Chemical Mixing), (3) injecting the hydraulic fracturing fluids into the production well to create fractures in the targeted production zone (Well Injection), (4) collecting the wastewater that returns through the well after injection (Produced Water Handling), and (5) managing the wastewater via disposal or reuse methods (Wastewater Disposal and Reuse)..."

Hydraulic fracking

Hydraulic Fracturing Study - Draft Assessment 2015

"The U.S. Congress urged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to study the relationship between hydraulic fracturing and drinking water. This report synthesizes available scientific literature and data to assess the potential for hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas to change the quality or quantity of drinking water resources, and identifies factors affecting the frequency or severity of any potential changes. This report can be used by federal, tribal, state, and local officials; industry; and the public to better understand and address any vulnerabilities of drinking water resources to hydraulic fracturing activities..."
Hydraulic fracturing

Hydraulic Fracturing Under the Safe Drinking Water Act

"EPA has developed draft Underground Injection Control (UIC) Class II permitting guidance for oil and gas hydraulic fracturing activities using diesel fuels. This document describes information useful in permitting the underground injection of oil- and gas-related hydraulic fracturing using diesel fuels where EPA is the permitting authority. EPA's goal is to improve compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) requirements and strengthen environmental protections consistent with existing law..."

Hydraulic Fracturing and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA): Selected Issues

"Hydraulic fracturing is a technique used to recover oil and natural gas from underground low
permeability rock formations. This process involves pumping fluids under high pressure into the
formations to crack them, releasing oil and gas into the well. The technique has been the subject
of controversy due to some of its potential effects on the environment.."

This report provides an overview of two situations in which agencies are arguing that they do not
need to conduct a comprehensive environmental review of hydraulic fracturing under NEPA. On
March 21, 2012, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development agency reaffirmed its
use of a CE to exempt from further NEPA review the loans it makes for the purchase of singlefamily  homes on properties leased for drilling. The agency stated that, by itself, the existence of a drilling lease on a property is not an extraordinary circumstance that will prevent the agency from using a CE for a loan..."

Hydraulic Fracturing and Safe Drinking Water Act Issues

"Hydraulic fracturing is a technique developed initially to stimulate oil production from wells in declining oil reservoirs. More recently, it has been used to initiate oil and gas production in unconventional (i.e., low-permeability) reservoirs where these resources were previously inaccessible. This process now is used in more than 90% of new oil and gas production wells. Hydraulic fracturing is done after a well is drilled and involves injecting large volumes of water, sand (or other propping agent), and specialized chemicals under enough pressure to fracture the formation holding the oil or gas. The sand or other proppant holds the fractures open to allow the oil or gas to flow freely out of the formation and into a production well..."