When Fracking is a Nuisance

Residents in areas where fracking is a common practice may find themselves with a lot to complain about. Fracking and related drilling activities are invasive practices used by the oil and gas companies to extract natural gas from far beneath the surface of the earth.

Fracking involves forcing water, chemicals, and sand under intense pressure into porous rocky shale located between 5,000 and 10,000 feet underground. The shale contains pockets of natural gas, also known as methane. Because the methane is scattered throughout the rock and not concentrated in a pool, the oil companies use high-pressure fracking to create a series of cracks in the rock layer that allow the gas to flow. Once the gas is freed and starts to flow through the cracks, the well equipment collects the gas for processing and sale. Proponents of land-based drilling cite the need to reduce dependency on foreign oil by tapping the natural resources on our own soil, but critics point out that the process is toxic and bad for residents and the environment. One of the main issues is that fracking is largely unregulated, and that the oil companies tend to ignore the regulations in place.

In addition to concerns about contaminated water and other fracking-related health issues like headaches and sinus irritation, there are a number of issues that make fracking a nuisance. One thing that residents or towns who sell the mineral rights to their land often neglect to take into consideration is the traffic. A single fracking job requires over a thousand trucks, and each well is generally fracked up to ten times. In some areas, oil and gas companies plan on drilling a gas well at least every square mile. If each well represents 10,000 trucks over the life of the drilling process, the increase in truck traffic on surrounding roads is exponential.

In the wake of such an influx of heavy traffic, roads are more subject to damage and require additional ongoing maintenance. On unpaved roads, a thick layer of dust settles on bushes and trees near the roadway. The smell of diesel exhaust from hundreds of trucks per day permeates the air for miles around.

Another issue that should be considered is noise. A tremendous amount of noise is created at the drilling site, and there is noise from truck traffic, noise from the workers, and noise created by the process of fracking. Gas compressor stations, which result from the need to transport the gas into pipelines, create additional noise. The peaceful quiet of a rural community is irrevocably shattered immediately after a drilling company sets up and begins fracking.

Vibrations must also be considered. Fracking causes vibrations deep within the earth. These vibrations may or may not lead to earth tremors – no link has yet been proven – but animals and birds are sensitive to vibrations that humans cannot detect without instrumentation. Animal reactions to ongoing changes in earth vibrations are unpredictable.

If you live in an area where companies are drilling for oil, document everything. It may be important in the future to have a record of the changes in your property, your water, your animals and your health.