Fracking again being considered in province
To the editor:
One or more of the candidates for the leadership of the Progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia is openly supporting fracking. This comes as no great surprise. Under the leadership of Jamie Baillie, the PCS ran a series of television ads which, although the messaging was intentionally vague, were clearly promoting this practice.
For those yet uninformed, fracking is a process whereby enormous pressure is applied to a column of fracking fluid (water, laced with various chemicals) in a drilled well to create fractures in underground rock formations that contain oil or natural gas. This allows the oil or gas to flow from the rock and be harvested through the drill hole.
Each well requires millions of gallons of the water/chemical mix to be pumped into the drill hole, which can be in excess of a mile long. Modern fracking operations involve many wells being drilled. After a well has been fracked, a portion of the fracking fluid is then pumped out.
Water, one of life’s most crucial resources, is the primary concern for those of us who oppose fracking. Much of the fracking fluid that is pumped into a well is never recovered. Over time, this can follow natural fractures and those created by the fracking process and eventually find its way into groundwater supplies which we rely on for domestic and agricultural purposes.
The wastewater that does get pumped from fracked wells poses another serious challenge. It is commonly held in open-air ponds before disposal. In many fracking operations disposal is achieved by simply pumping it underground into what is called “dry wells.” This practice has been proven to generate earthquakes. This wastewater may migrate for miles, eventually contaminating groundwater supplies.
We commonly experience very heavy rains or snowfalls. This can overwhelm the holding ponds and result in runoff into streams, fields, or forests, finally settling into water bodies from which we pump household and agricultural water.
There are numerous other concerns that arise from fracking but the potential for contamination of our water is by far the greatest. We could import all our food, but we will never be able to import enough water to make up for the loss of groundwater.
Regardless of any promised jobs or potential profits that might come from fracking, it will never be worth the risk of poisoning our drinking water. Orland Kennedy,
Brookfield