Study Blames Faulty Wells, Not Fracking, For Water Contamination

A Duke University study exonerates hydraulic fracturing from contaminating drinking water at sites in Pennsylvania and Texas. Instead, researchers blame faulty shale gas wells for leaking methane into the water, sometimes making it flammable.

The study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences this week. It’s the latest article in ongoing research on the implications of fracking for natural gas. New data and isotopic evidence confirms that leaking wells are directing methane into the drinking water.

Read more and listen to the story from WUNC.