Is Fracking a Risk to UK Groundwater?

Groundwater is precious resource and a vital source of freshwater in the UK, supplying between 27% and 90% of public supply in various regions.

Groundwater is also used for irrigation, agriculture, bottled water, and in food and drink production and is essential for maintaining ecosystem health as it is vital for maintaining river flow, especially during dry periods.

Is Fracking a Risk to UK Groundwater?

Many individuals have expressed concern about the impact of fracking on groundwater due to the various reports that shale gas has contaminated drinking water in the United States.

According to research that has been done worldwide, the associated risks that go with hydraulic fracturing, better known as fracking, include the potential for surface water and groundwater contamination.

Contamination can occur due to poor well-design or well construction, the migration of various contaminants along natural pathways into overlying aquifers, spills associated with the storage or mixing of chemicals at the site where the fracking takes place, or the storage or management of flow-back fluids that return to the surface from the borehole. Strict controls and regulations are, however, in place to reduce these risks to an acceptable level.

There are two potential impacts of fracking on groundwater; the supply and consumption of groundwater for drilling and fracking and the contamination of groundwater. Detailed risk assessments are done prior to any authorisation or permit being granted and ongoing monitoring of the environment is a requirement to demonstrate that no impact is occurring.

Aquifers overlying potential shale gas rocks were also examined, as in excess of 70% of drinking water in the south-east of England comes from the Chalk aquifer.

On 1 April 2015, Water UK announced that “Regulations under the Town and Country Planning Act that will make water companies statutory consultees for fracking were laid before Parliament last week and are due to come into force in mid-April. The UK water industry has been successful in securing these measures, to protect water resources from the potential risks of shale oil and gas extraction.”