EPA

Abria Harris
Synthesis

Hydraulic fracturing, most commonly known as "fracking", is a process in which pressurized fluids are used in order to fracture into Earth's rock layer to create wells underground. The fluids used in fracking have been identified as to being dangerous to both the public and the environment. Abrahm Lustgarten, Nicholas Kusnetz and  ProPublica are authors of the article "EPA: Natural Gas Fracking Linked to Water Contamination" which is about fracking and how it could have been the cause of water contamination in an area in Wyoming. The authors uses a draft report from the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) to support their article.

"Federal environment officials of today scientifically linked underground water pollution [found in Wyoming with fracking]." The EPA question if fracking is capable of causing harm to water resources while others believe the fracking to be safe. All of the synthetic compounds from frack fluids could pose risks to the health and safety  of the public and the environment.  The EPA decided that the best way to find out if the the water really is being polluted by fracking was to create two test wells and monitor them. After a few years of testing and monitoring the wells, contaminants were found and thought to be relevant to the fracking. "In 2010 another round of sampling confirmed the contamination."

Warnings were given from both the EPA and federal health officials for the residents to be cautious while being around the water and steps were given as to what is safe and what is not. Along with the confirmation from the EPA that compounds used in the fracking process were found in areas that were fracked, the EPA also found that 2-BE, a chemical "known to be used in fracking," was detected in only one of the test wells. Although the EPA's findings were important, the information couldn't be used as a fact because the detection of 2-BE only occurred once in the tests.