Fracking flowback could pollute groundwater with heavy metals

http://mediarelations.cornell.edu/2014/06/25/fracking-flowback-could-pollute-groundwater-with-heavy-metals/

JUNE 25, 2014 BY MELISSA OSGOOD

MEDIA NOTE: Images and video are available at: https://cornell.box.com/Colloid

ITHACA, N.Y. – The chemical makeup of wastewater generated by “hydrofracking” could cause the release of tiny particles in soils that often strongly bind heavy metals and pollutants, exacerbating the environmental risks during accidental spills, Cornell University researchers have found.

Previous research has shown 10 to 40 percent of the water and chemical solution mixture injected at high pressure into deep rock strata, surges back to the surface during well development. Scientists at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences studying the environmental impacts of this “flowback fluid” found that the same properties that make it so effective at extracting natural gas from shale can also displace tiny particles that are naturally bound to soil, causing associated pollutants such as heavy metals to leach out.

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