The Environmental Protection Agency is holding a public teleconference, run by the Science Advisory Board’s Hydraulic Fracturing Research Advisory Panel, to discuss the first draft of the peer review report of the Hydraulic Fracturing Drinking Water Assessment.
The “Draft Assessment of the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing for Oil and Gas on Drinking Water Resources” investigates the potential impacts on human health and the environment hydraulic fracturing may have on the quality of drinking water at each stage of the hydraulic fracturing water cycle. The draft estimates 25,000-30,000 new wells were drilled annually between 2011 and 2014. Most of these wells were drilled in Texas; Pennsylvania ranked third in number of wells drilled during the period covered.
Between the years 2000 and 2013, the report estimated 9.4 million people lived within one mile of a hydraulically fractured well. In addition, approximately 6,800 drinking water sources for public water systems were within one mile of at least one hydraulically fractured well between 2000 and 2013.
Find out more in about the assessment in a previous RKR Hess blog post.
The EPA will take into account the comments from the advisory board in conjunction with comments from the public in its evaluation of the peer review report.
The public teleconference will take place on Monday, Feb. 1 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. To participate, visit the Science Advisory Board website.
