Fracking Affects Underground Water - Essay Example

Task: Call to Action Fracking is the extraction of oil from rocks by breaking the rocks using high pressure liquid. Frackinghas negative effects on the environment. The process is also called hydraulic fracturing. It results into water pollution. Potentially poisonous chemicals have been confirmed to be present in water coming from the fracking process. Some of the chemicals that may be present in the waste water include radioactive materials like Radium, dissolved solids and organic pollutants such as benzene and toluene. Some of the water from fracking always resurface and should be treated. Fracking affects underground water. The water becomes unfit for drinking due to large amounts of methane dissolved. People who live near the fracking areas are at greater risks. Continuation of the fracking process may lead to higher rates of water pollution in future. Some of the chemicals resulting from the process are carcinogenic and are most likely the cases of cancers may increase in the near future. Carcinogens released from the fracking process may also evaporate and cause air pollution. Pollution in the air may spread to other areas (Spellman 78). Based on the facts gathered about pollution regarding fracking, the cases of cancer will increase. Climate change may also occur as a result of the release of methane gas to the environment. Fracking produces mainly natural gas and oil. It is more expensive to use oil in production of electricity. Natural gas can not be used to fuel cars. It is therefore not necessary to boost the production of oil and gas from hydraulic fragmentation (Spellman et al 122). Several measures can be taken to limit the effects of fracking. Wastewater from the fracking process must be properly disposed. The disposal process should also include storm water and other wastes emanating from hydraulic fracturing processes. The waters should not be released to the environment before treatment. Water-treatment technology is recommended as it limits the pollution effects of the fracking process. The major objecting is to carry out the process of fracking in an environment friendly manner (Graves 321). Improved water treating method makes it possible to teat the wastewaters at the fracking sites. This saves the costs involved in transport of the water to disposal wells or water treatment facilities located. During fracking process, large amount of water under high pressure is pumped underground to release oil and gas trapped. Water that flows back to the ground is loaded with remnants of toxic chemicals used to fasten the fracking process and those released from the cracked rocks. This water is often recycled in the fracking process. Eventually, the water can not be recycled anymore. It is therefore necessary to transport the water to treatment plants usually located away from the fracking sites. This is expensive and the spills may cause pollution. At times, the water is injected deep into the ground. The underground injection causes earthquakes in the area. The proposed new technology eliminates the need to transport the water to treatment plants away from the fracking site. The technology works on the principle of desalinization using and low pressures to separate water and salts in the wastewater. The water comes out as vapour leaving behind salts. Waterless fracking technology is used as an alternative process to extract oil and gas trapped in rocks. The method uses a thick gel consisting of propane into the ground. The gel extracted from liquefied propane gas (LPG) turns into vapour while still underground then returns to the ground in a recoverable form. The gel does carry with it the toxic chemicals used in the fracturing process or those released from the cracked rocks. The waterless fracking technology is expensive but can be used as an alternative to the ordinary fracking process due to less impact it has on the environment. The information about the toxic chemicals that have been established to be preset in the cracking process is always hidden from the public. Most people who consume water from fracking process are often not aware of the dangers they are predisposing themselves to. Availing the information about the toxicity of water from fracking process can be a major step in reducing the risks associated with fracking as people can take precautions. Another measure to reduce pollution from fracking eradicates leaky air system to avoid release of methane gas to the air. Methane gas in the air contributes to global warming that is a precursor to climate change. Regulations should be put in place to ensure that well used in the fracking process are strong enough to minimize cases of leaking of the toxic oil to the environment. Waterless cracking is expensive while availing information on the toxicity of chemicals from the cracking process may not be very effective. Some people may not understand or deliberately ignore the information given. Providing the information about the toxicity may not be enough if an extra measure is taken to eliminate the toxic chemicals present in the water. The most important strategy is to ensure that the water released from the cracking process does not contain the toxic pollutants. This leaves the technology water treatment to be the most feasible method of reducing pollution. The method ensures that the fracking water released is non toxic and can be used for drinking by the people who dwell in the sub area (IMF 6-23). In achieving this goal, the government should be the major player. It should provide the funds required for the purchase and installation of the water treatment plant. The public must also play a part acting as watch dogs to ensure the installed plant is fully effective. The public are the most affected by fracking water pollution. The civil society should be involved in confirming that the fracking companies adhere to the regulations set concerning treatment of the fracking water using technology. Chemicals contained in the water from the fracking process are carcinogenic. People who use the water for drinking after prolonged periods of time suffer from various types of cancer. Short term effects of drinking water from the fracking include diarrhoea, vomiting and skin rushes. In some individuals, may experience reproductive problems due to prolonged consumption of contaminated water. The two groups of people who can help in accomplishing the task of reducing water pollution from fracking are the Red Cross and the College of Engineering, Arizona University. The Red Cross is usually involved in providing aid I form of medicines and other necessities to the affected individuals. The core mandate of the organization is to ensure the well being of human beings.Red Cross can engage in sensitizing the public about the dangers of consuming water from the fracking process. It can also provide the government with facts and data about the extent of damage resulting from fracking water. Red Cross publishes journals about health. This may be important in relaying information to the inhabitants of the fracking sub area. Students at the engineering college can be involved in the process of eliminating water pollution from the fracking process. At the engineering college, students engage in innovative activities where they come up with new ways of doing things. Students can come up with new technology of treating the effluent water from the fracking process. They can also improve on the existing one to make it more efficient is detoxifying wastewater. Conferences organized at the engineering college where students showcase their various innovative projects can be used as a platform for addressing the problem. Students at the engineering college often write academic essays based on research and projects undertaken. The presentations at the conferences are done in power point format. Apart from the technology water treatment, students can find ways of making the waterless fracking process less expensive. Waterless fracking is the most effective way of reducing fracking water pollution but the high cost involved makes its use limiting. To ensure that both the Red Cross and the Engineering is come on board in the process of dealing with the pollution, a clear method has to be employed to make them see the importance of controlling waste water pollution. This is achieved through use of emotions when making appeals. The emotions aid in making the concerned parties understand the real situation and may convince them to join in the struggle of relieving area from population. Works Cited Graves, John. Fracking: America’s Alternative Energy resolution. Oklahoma, OK: John H Graves, 2012. Print. International Monetary Fund. Western Hemisphere Dept. United States: Selected Issues. New York, NY: International Monetary Fund, 2013. Print. Spellman, Frank. Environmental Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing. New York, NY: CRC Press, 2012. Print. Read More