New EPA Report: Fracking "Can Impact Drinking Water Resources"
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NEW YORK (CBSDFW.COM/CBS NEWS) - An Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report about fracking is reigniting fears over the extraction of oil and gas from rock below the earth. The agency says it's unable to fully characterize the severity of fracking's impact on drinking water. But it does point to circumstances that could make ground water vulnerable.
Fracking involves pumping huge volumes of water, sand and chemicals underground to split open rock formations so oil and gas will flow.
The majority of U.S. fracking happens in seven zones – three of them at least partially in Texas, and some residents are concerned, reports CBS News correspondent Manuel Bojorquez.
Elizabeth Falconer has installed a $30,000 water filtration system in her garage. She said she's had her water tested and it came back with chemical levels higher than the EPA recommends.
Falconer said the water in her Weatherford home is undrinkable, even with an expensive filter.
When asked how often she has to get water Falconer said, "We probably go through two or three a week."
After nearby fracking started in 2009, Falconer claims her drinking water gave her heart palpitations and made her dizzy.
"Is there at this point a smoking gun -- something that you could point to to say this is directly linked to fracking?" Bojorquez asked.
"Again, I'm not a scientist. I can only say here's the sequence of time and the only intervening variable between good water and bad water was fracking," Falconer said.
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