--- description: If you report on the environmental issues surrounding hydraulic fracturing and shale natural gas, you'll hear a certain line from gas industry representatives over and... title: EPA Says Fracking Likely Contaminated Groundwater Supplies in Wyoming image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2c4f399cb490b157/6998b61e9fbc7c81efd983bc/976939681.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Science](/section/science/) # Contaminated? EPA Says Fracking "Likely" Polluted Groundwater by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) Dec 9, 2011 10:00 AM CUT  A natural gas drilling rig in Wyoming. The EPA says that fracking may have resulted in groundwater contamination in that state. A natural gas drilling rig in Wyoming. The EPA says that fracking may have resulted in groundwater contamination in that state.National Geographic / Getty Images News by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) Dec 9, 2011 10:00 AM CUT If you report on the environmental issues surrounding hydraulic fracturing and shale natural gas, you’ll hear a certain line from gas industry representatives [over and over](http://thinkprogress.org/green/2011/08/03/287105/fact-check-contamination-of-groundwater-by-fracking-was-documented-in-1987/ "undefined"): there has never been a documented case of groundwater contamination by fracking. There are [angry homeowners](http://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2011/12/08/deps-dimock-decision-based-on-2010-agreement-not-water-quality/ "undefined") who say that fracking has spoiled their water supply, and [suspicious incidents](http://www.yesweekly.com/triad/article-12302-tap-water-that-bursts-into-flame-and-other-fun-with-fracking.html "undefined") across the country and even [scientific studies](http://ecocentric.blogs.time.com/2011/05/10/more-problems-for-the-shale-gas-industry/ "undefined") that have indicated that drilling may allow methane to infiltrate groundwater supplies. But industry defenders can say that there hasn’t yet been a clearly documented case of fracking fluids—the sometimes toxic chemicals injected deep into the ground during the hydrofracking process—actually leaking into and contaminating groundwater supplies. But that may well be changing. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has release a draft report—download [the PDF here](http://www.epa.gov/region8/superfund/wy/pavillion/EPA%5FReportOnPavillion%5FDec-8-2011.pdf "undefined")—of an investigation into possible groundwater contamination in Pavilion, Wyoming, where shale gas drilling and hydrofracking had taken place. (See [this report](http://www.propublica.org/article/hydrofracked-one-mans-mystery-leads-to-a-backlash-against-natural-gas-drill "undefined") from ProPublica’s Abrahm Lustgarten on the Pavilion and its woes with fracking.) The conclusions will be troubling for industry: the EPA found evidence of chemicals associated with gas production in the area’s aquafier, and the “data indicates likely impact to groundwater that can be explained by hydraulic fracturing.” In other words: there are chemicals in Pavilion’s water that shouldn’t be there, and they likely came from fracking. more **(MORE:** [**Can Shale Gas Power the World?**](http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2062456,00.html "undefined")**)** From the EPA [news release](http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/EF35BD26A80D6CE3852579600065C94E "undefined"): --- > “” --- The EPA was quick to caution that what’s happening in Pavilion—where the gas fields in question were run by the Canadian company [Encana](http://www.encana.com/ "undefined")—isn’t necessarily indicative of drilling and fracking procedures elsewhere in the country, including in Pennsylvania’s hotly contested Marcellus Shale region. In the Marcellus, most gas plays involve rock layers located 1 to 3 km below the surface—usually well below any aquafiers, which are usually only a couple hundred meters below the ground. In Pavilion, by contrast, the fracking was happening in vertical wells—the Marcellus wells are horizontal—that in some places are as shallow as 372 meters below the surface. That’s not much deeper than the groundwater, making it that much easier for any leaked chemicals to find their way into groundwater. A number of wells in the area also lack surface casing—protective cement sleeves that should prevent drilling fluids or methane from leaking out. **(MORE:** [**Political Fractures Over Fracking**](http://ecocentric.blogs.time.com/2011/11/21/political-fractures-over-fracking/ "undefined")**)** For its part, Encana denied that fracking from its wells had poisoned the groundwater of Pavilion, as company spokesperson [Doug Hock told Bloomberg](http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-12-08/gas-fracking-chemicals-detected-in-wyoming-aquifer-epa-says.html "undefined"): --- > “” --- Not much surprise there—the gas industry has [rejected almost every argument](http://www.energyindepth.org/study-methane-in-susquehanna-county-pa-water-not-related-to-natural-gas-development/ "undefined") that fracking and drilling might pose a threat to water supplies. But environmentalists—correctly, I think—seized on news of the EPA’s investigation as a possible gamechanger in the politics over fracking. [From Mark Brownstein](http://blogs.edf.org/energyexchange/2011/12/08/epas-pavillion-wy-groundwater-contamination-study-a-wake-up-call/ "undefined"), chief counsel of the energy program at the Environmental Defense Fund—a green group that has been more open to [shale gas than most](http://blogs.edf.org/energyexchange/2011/11/04/shale-gas-reserves-could-reignite-u-s-economy/ "undefined"): --- > “” --- The question now is what impact environmental concerns might have on the shale gas industry, which really has been [poised to explode](http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/could-shale-gas-reignite-the-us-economy-11032011.html "undefined"). There’s a civil war brewing in New York over hydrofracking, with [public hearings into the practice](http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/dec/01/new-york-fracking-public-hero "undefined")—which is officially on moratorium in the state—exploding with angry voices on both sides. States like Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania [are divided over whether fracking](http://ecocentric.blogs.time.com/2011/11/21/political-fractures-over-fracking/ "undefined") should be allowed near the Delaware River basin, which supplies drinking water for millions. The EPA has launched more [comprehensive studies](http://www.epa.gov/hydraulicfracture/ "undefined") into the potential impacts of fracking and drilling on water supplies, while Republicans in Congress are [ready to go nuclear](http://www.news9.com/story/16218196/inhofe-challenges-head-of-epa-over-fracking-remarks "undefined") over any perceived shale gas slowdown. Personally, I still feel the way I did when I wrote [TIME’s cover story on fracking](http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2062456,00.html "undefined") last year: shale gas is a potentially very valuable resource for the U.S., one that could help us reduce air pollution and carbon emissions by replacing dirty coal generation. But there are still major questions about the environmental effects of shale gas drilling and fracking—especially as it scales up and moves to more crowded parts of the country. The EPA’s draft study in Pavilion only underscores those concerns—and shows why many Americans [are still hesitant](http://www.water-contamination-from-shale.com/new-york/new-pollconcern-over-fracking%E2%80%99s-environmental-impact-growing/ "undefined") to embrace the fracking revolution. **VIDEO:** [**The Fuss Over Fracking**](http://www.time.com/time/video/player/0,32068,876880045001%5F2062814,00.html "undefined") _Bryan Walsh is a senior writer at_ TIME_. Find him on Twitter at_ [_@bryanrwalsh_](http://twitter.com/#%21/bryanrwalsh "undefined")_. You can also continue the discussion on_ TIME’s[_Facebook page_](http://www.facebook.com/time "undefined") _and on Twitter at_ [_@TIME_](http://twitter.com/#%21/TIME "undefined") EPA Says Fracking Likely Contaminated Groundwater Supplies in Wyoming ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/archive/7220048/contaminated-epa-says-fracking-likely-polluted-groundwater/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/archive/7220048/contaminated-epa-says-fracking-likely-polluted-groundwater/"},"headline":"Contaminated? 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