Fracture Lines: In the Rush to Develop Shale Gas Will Canada's Water Be
Protected?

New report and expert conference look at need to regulate industry "fracking" plans

TORONTO, Oct. 14 /CNW/ - A dramatic revolution in the production of unconventional shale gas might temporarily improve North America's energy security, but it may also threaten critical Canadian water supplies from British Columbia to Nova Scotia, says a new research paper released today by the University of Toronto's Munk School today.

Shale gas, extracted by hydraulic fracturing or "fracking" -- the injection of hundreds of tonnes of  sand, water and chemicals at high pressure into deep rock formations --  now represents 20 per cent of all gas produced in the United States, says award winning journalist Ben Parfitt. 

The so called "shale gale"  that has increased drilling has also sparked massive land grabs, depressed natural gas prices and created unprecedented exploration activity in Quebec, Ontario, the Maritimes and Western Canada.

While US federal and state regulators have launched several investigations into the industry's impact on water quality and quantity,  "neither the National Energy Board nor Environment Canada have yet raised any substantive questions about 'the shale gale' or its impact on water resources," says Parfitt.  

In addition to exploring the diverse water impacts of both hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling, the report, "Fracture Lines: Will Canada's Water Be Protected In the Rush To Develop Shale Gas," highlights a number of surprising findings:

1. The world's largest fracking operations took place in British Columbia this year, yet the province does not regulate or license groundwater withdrawals.
   
   
2. The high energy intensity of shale gas production in the Barnett Shale in north-central Texas can create 33,000 tons per day of CO₂ or the equivalent emissions of two 750 megawatt coal-fired power plants.
   
   
3. In addition to consuming lakes of water,  industry fracking operations now create billions of cubic metres of wastewater that have placed added stress on municipal water treatment plants in Pennsylvania.
   
   
4. In most cases Canada has not yet mapped aquifers in regions experiencing "shale gales". Yet the shale gas industry in B.C. has permission to use twice as much water as that consumed by Greater Victoria every year.

Given the growing shale gas controversy in Canada and the United States the report makes 13 recommendations, including mapping of critical aquifers, full disclosure of fracking contents and no-go zones to protect North America's water.

Adèle Hurley, Director of the Program on Water Issues, said Parfitt's paper raises a timely issue.

"There is intense industry interest in hydraulic fracturing at the very time that Canada is experiencing significant gaps in knowledge about the country's water resources," she said.

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