Selected Federal Activities on Hydraulic Fracturing

Briefing on three water-resource assessment areas on unconventional oil and gas development activities:

• EPA study of potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources: Jeanne Briskin (briskin.jeanne@epa.gov), Hydraulic Fracturing Research Coordinator, EPA Office of Research and Development (Click to view presentation)
• Trends in water quality in areas of unconventional oil and gas development – Watershed/surface-water resources, Zach Bowen (bowenz@usgs.gov) Ecosystem Dynamics Branch, USGS Fort Collins Science Center (Click to view presentation)
• Injection induced earthquakes, Bill Ellsworth (ellsworth@usgs.gov), USGS Earthquake Science Center Staff Director (Click to view presentation)

Links to discussed publications and products

EPA’s Homepage for the study of potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources

Gallegos, T.J., and Varela, B.A., 2015, Trends in hydraulic fracturing distributions and treatment fluids, additives, proppants, and water volumes applied to wells drilled in the United States from 1947 through 2010—Data analysis and comparison to the literature: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2014–5131, 15 p.,

Gallegos, T.J., and Varela, B.A., 2015, Data regarding hydraulic fracturing distributions and treatment fluids, additives, proppants, and water volumes applied to wells drilled in the United States from 1947 through 2010: U.S. Geological Survey Data Series 868, 11 p

W. L. Ellsworth, Injection Induced Earthquakes, Science 341, 1225942 (2013).
DOI: 10.1126/science.1225942