Fracking's Alleged Links to Water Contamination and Earthquakes

Although hydraulic fracturing has been used in the United States for decades, the process and its alleged impact on water quality have received increased attention and scrutiny within the past two years from the media, Congress, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and other regulatory agencies. Specifically, the scrutiny focuses on concerns about reduction of citizens’ water supplies due to the large volume of water used in the fracking process, alleged contamination of supply aquifers due to fracturing activities, and disposal or recycling of the wastewater or flowback water. Most recently, the attention has surrounded the potential causal link between hydraulic fracturing and earthquakes.