On June 5, EPA released an external review draft of its “Assessment of the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing for Oil and Gas on Drinking Water Resources.” According to EPA’s news release, the assessment “shows that while hydraulic fracturing activities in the U.S. are carried out in a way that have not led to widespread, systemic impacts on drinking water resources, there are potential vulnerabilities in the water lifecycle that could impact drinking water.” Potential vulnerabilities addressed in the report include pore well construction, inadequately treated wastewater discharges and spills of various fluids, production waters and wastewaters, among others.
The assessment, which was performed at the request of Congress, will undergo an additional round of public stakeholder review and comment as well as a final review by the Science Advisory Board’s Hydraulic Fracturing Research Advisory Panel.