PERC.org, via
CarpeDiem, is reporting that
conventional gas wells produce a whole lot more waste water than fracked wells:
Our research shows that for the Marcellus Shale -- by far the largest
shale gas resource in the United States -- significantly less
wastewater is generated for every unit of natural gas recovered by
hydraulic fracturing than by conventional gas production.
In the
peer-reviewed journal Water Resources Research, we compared wastewater
volumes generated by more than 2,000 hydraulically fractured shale gas
wells to the wastewater generated by conventional wells. We used
publicly available data throughout Pennsylvania.
Our results
surprised us: On average, shale gas wells generated about 10 times more
wastewater but also produced about 30 times more natural gas. This means
conventional wells generate about three times more wastewater than
hydraulically fractured wells to produce the same amount of natural gas.
Conventional
gas resources -- on which we have relied for more than 150 years -- are
drawn from highly porous geologic formations. They are like sponges
through which gas can flow freely.
These pores also can harbor
large volumes of water. In fact, more deep water -- water that usually
contains high concentrations of pollutants -- is usually brought to the
surface than natural gas.
Something tells me this will be too hard for faux environmentalists to understand.
