Hydraulic Fracturing (Fracking) in Wyoming

8/20/10-Residents of Wyoming Fracking Community Report Illnesses

Residents of Pavillion, Wyoming may be getting sick because of hydraulic fracturing, also called fracking. According to an Associated Press report, the group Earthworks Oil and Gas Accountability Project says that four out of five people who have returned a health survey report symptoms that could be linked to Natural Gas Drilling operations in and around Pavillion. In the past, residents of the central Wyoming town have complained that fracking polluted their well water. More? Click Here.

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Hydraulic Fracturing in Wyoming

Evidence is accumulating that many water contamination woes in Wyoming are the result of hydraulic fracturing operations in the state. In the late summer of 2009, for example, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said drinking water contamination near the ranching town of Pavillion might have resulted from drilling in the area.

Pavillion is a town of just 160 residents located in the Wind River Indian Reservation. It is also home to large wetlands and 10 threatened or endangered species. Beneath the ground lay at least 30 water-bearing aquifer layers.

Earlier this decade, the Canadian drilling company EnCana began ramping up gas development in the Pavillion/Muddy Ridge field. In 2000, more than 100 new wells were drilled, and two compressor plants - a large one and a smaller facility - were built in the area.

That same year, some Pavillion residents began noticing foul odors in their water. In some cases, residents living near gas wells said the water coming from faucets was muddy brown or black, and had a taste similar to gasoline. In one case, a rancher reported that animals went blind after drinking from a well. Though EnCana and other drillers have repeatedly compensated residents with the worst cases of contamination, they have not acknowledged any fault in causing the pollution.

In March 2009, years after Pavillion residents had begun petitioning the agency, the EPA took samples of Pavillion’s municipal and private water wells.  The range and level of potential contamination meant the area qualified for Superfund monies. The EPA study also marked the first time the agency had undertaken its own water analysis in response to complaints of contamination in drilling areas.

The following August, the EPA announced its preliminary findings. It found that at least three water wells contained a chemical used in hydraulic fracturing. Scientists also found traces of other contaminants, including oil, gas or metals, in 11 of 39 wells tested in Pavillion. The tests also found no pesticide from agriculture - the only other major industry in Pavillion – and no indication that any industry or activity besides drilling could be to blame.

Testing in Pavillion will continue through the fall of 2010 to determine the level of chemicals in the water and exactly where they came from.