The latest craze sweeping the country domestic energy driest pockets, attracting millions of gallons of water from beneath the earth's surface to unlock oil and gas reserves.
Hydraulic fracturing, or commonly known as hydraulic fracturing, drilling technology has been used for decades in water, sand and chemicals into the ground explosion split huge volumes of valuable shale formations.
But now, with the use of competing energy companies west of the Mississippi abundant, hydraulic fracturing to expand to new areas of the same piece of land, crops withered and rivers have dried up due to severe drought.
In Arkansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and Wyoming, most places are still suffering from the occurrence of fracturing arid counties, according to an Associated Press analysis of the industry compiled fracturing data and U.S. Department of Agriculture Department official designation of drought.
Fracturing typically consume less water than agricultural or residential use precious resources exploration methods increasingly fierce competition, drive up prices, water and aquifers and rivers, already depleted in some stretches of drought stricken burden.
Some farmers and urban leaders fear hydraulic fracturing boom consume too many scarce resources, and see others push production as an opportunity to make money, selling water, and further promote the country's energy independence goals.
Along Colorado's Front Range, the fourth generation farmer Kent Peppler said he was following some of his corn fields, because this year, he could not irrigated land throughout the growing season, partly because the rich and powerful energy companies have led to water Price.
"Peppler, said:" There is a new water, which is the oil and gas players, who also serves as chairman of the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, Colorado Mead. "Of course, they have the ability to pay a lot more than we do."
In normal years Peppler said he would pay anywhere from 9-100 U.S. dollars - feet of water held in the city of excess supply auction. But these days, the energy company to pay some of the city $ 1,200 to $ 2,900 per acre - feet. Denver suburb of Aurora last summer and $ 9.5 million, five-year deal Anadarko excess of 240 million gallons of treated sewage water.
In South Texas, drought forced farmers to reduce, local water officials say drilling caused by falling water tables in some areas.
For example, as many as 15,000 acre - feet of water is drawn from 卡里佐威尔 Wilcox aquifer wells per year in the Eagle Ford shale frack, the country's most profitable oil and gas fields of the southern half.
This is equivalent to about half of the water, the annual charge to the southern part of the aquifer, across five counties, home to about 330,000 people, green, non-profit organizations in the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, scientists said Ron.
Eagle Ford, extending from the Mexican border to East Texas, began to boom in 2011, just as Texas struggled in its history, the worst year of drought. While conditions have improved, most of the state is still dealing with some degree of drought, many reservoirs and aquifers has not been adequately supplement.
"The oil industry bigger fracks plenty of water and pumping in here," said Ed Walker, a winter garden groundwater protected areas responsible for the management of the aquifer as a main source of water for farmers and about 29,000 people in the three counties.
, "Walker said:" When you have a big problem, such as drought and adding other minor problems, like all hydraulic fracturing method, then it will only make things worse.
Charlie Smith, West Texas cotton farmers are trying to make the best of circumstances. He intends to sell some of his fields to drilling below the groundwater coursing, because it is not enough to irrigate his land Glasscock County. Smith's field, like the rest of the county, was declared a drought area, this year by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
"I'm going to bed every night and pray for the good Lord, we will get a fair rainfall on crop," Smith said he hoped per acre - feet of water, he can sell to earn a few thousand dollars. "I realized that we have not made any money farming, then why not sell water, the oil companies every little bit helps."
Hydraulic fracture and the amount of water needed varies greatly, depending on the extraction of oil and gas from each of the geological structure is so difficult. In Texas, as well as an average of 6,000,000 gallons of water, while in California, each well requires 80,000 to 300,000 gallons, according to government and industry associations estimate.
Water in accordance with national and local laws, frackers likely to attract their water from underground aquifers or rivers, or may from time to time purchase and lease are water districts, cities, and farmers' supplies. Some of the biggest players in the industry has also invested in high-tech gray or frack water recycling system brackish water.
Halliburton, for example, recently began to promote a new technology that allows customers to use recycled waste water, said it was "investments to further the oil and gas industry's sustainable development." American Petroleum Institute, the main lobbying group for the industry, said Its members work to become less dependent on freshwater, but learn from other sources.
Reid Porter, spokesman for the group "recycled wastewater helps conserve water use, and provide opportunities for cost savings, said:" The.
In some countries, regulators have increased restrictions on the amount or type of water in drought conditions, energy companies can use.
In northwestern Louisiana, peak production began in 2009 in Haynesville shale, national water agency ordered the oil and gas companies, stop pulling the local groundwater aquifers, it also provides families and businesses, and use surface water instead. Louisiana Department of Natural Resources spokesman said Patrick, COURREGES, this order is still valid and help restore groundwater.
In Weld County, Colorado, home to Peppler farms and more than 19,000 active oil and gas wells, some officials see their funding from the Colorado River sell unwanted parts, as a way to support the city budget.
Greeley County last year sold 1,575 acre - feet of water fracturing company's contractors, suppliers, and achieved about 410 million yuan. It is sold to farmers nearly 100 times more water, but netted just $ 396,000.
"Oil and gas industry is a small but significant player," said Jon Monson, the city's water department, which has been specified 35 hydrants, vehicles may fill their tanks, trucks, gas director. "Just know that oil and natural gas is a boom-and-bust industry and we are trying not accustomed to regard it as a source of income, as we know it will not last."
Some environmental groups believe that local and regional planners should allow the public to weigh can support the number of drought disaster drill. Some states require oil and gas companies to disclose the chemicals and the amount of water they use in fracturing operations FracFocus.org, industry and intergovernmental organizations in 2011 consists of a website, but statistics are incomplete.
"We do not want 20 years from now look and say, 'Gee, we spent all of our water, said:" Jason seeds, western Colorado, Boulder resources advocates.
In California, the oil companies are further explored by massive Monterey shale, a 1,750 - square - mile area to expand the agricultural Central Valley Pacific, federal energy officials said two-thirds of the country may eventually include shale oil reserves .
Monterey shale and an hour north of Los Angeles, the southern end, in Ventura County, drought led to the local water system pressures have emerged, a number of local water districts predict groundwater wells will dry summers.
David Schwabauer, the fourth generation of farmers in the county, said through his avocado and lemon groves company hopes to drill new wells overture about how to manage the family farm prompted difficult conversations. Relies on an orchard irrigation overdrawn aquifers, while the other is the use of expensive water from the distant Sierra Nevada kept alive.
"Some parts of the family have very strong feelings against it, because of the environmental challenges we face," Schwabauer said. "But the rest of the family was very comfortable, because we still want to stay in business and we have not decided yet."
 
 



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