Gasland Part II aired on HBO on Monday night and explained about the process of fracking, and its effects in North Dakota. Fracking is the main piece in the oil drilling industry in North Dakota, and according to the documentary it has been shown to contaminate water sources. Primarily after fracking, the underground water reservoirs are the ones that are polluted.
To quote a few people from the documentary, the locals say:
“We lived here 40-years and never had a problem with the water. They drilled… after they drilled the water was bad.”
“I don’t know how they even drink it to be honest with you. It’s the damndest smelling stuff… oh, man.”
When reported asked a geological engineer about his concerns about fracking, he stated that the water in western North Dakota will not become contaminated on the account of the fracking process because the oil reserves are below the levels of drinking water.
According to what the doctor in geological engineering told the reported, fracking happens 400-feet from where the high pressure water is, therefore it isn’t close enough to drinking water to contaminate it.