Fracking and Flammable Water
LIFE IN THE RED ZONE: Flammable Water in Fort Lupton, Colorado.
from Water Under Attack
No lie - the water from this guy's spigot catches fire. He said the same happens to his neighbor to the North. Local news found a lot of neighbors with the same problem.
"It's right in the middle of the crops that feed our country."
"What blows my mind is The Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. I thought they were there to work for the people. They're not there to work for the people. They are there to work and help the oil and gas companies. And I asked him who's there for the people? And he told me, 'Nobody. Call an attorney.' That's what they told me."
Her mother passed away, so Amy Goodman wasn't broadcasting today, but Democracy Now offered a pertinent discussion on Natural Gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale:
Environmental Battle Brews in New York over Natural Gas Drilling
Albert Appleton, Former commissioner of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection and former director of the New York City Water and Sewer System, warns that it only takes a small percentage of failures to contaminate water for drinking and nature. He suggests that NYC's vaunted clean water is at risk.
Great link, Donal. Thanks. This stuff is going on everywhere.
October 6, 2009 2:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
Holy cow. Donal, this scares the bejeesus out of me.
IF YOU CANNOT TRUST YOUR WATER, YOU ARE SCREWED!!!
October 6, 2009 9:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
(hyperventilating)
sent to everyone in address book
I need to update it
oy.
October 6, 2009 9:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
Scary...but not surprising DD. I'm reminded of Cleveland's "Burning River". The Cuyahoga.
Ohio was so embarrassed by it they they finally cleaned it up and now how some very stiff regulations concerning who and what can drain into it.
But it should not take a disaster or nearly so for anyone to react. But then this is a very reactionary country.
C
October 6, 2009 10:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
In Pennsylvania too.
http://www.propublica.org/feature/water-problems-from-drilling-are-more-frequent-than-officials-said-731
October 6, 2009 11:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
If they could some how come up with a way to separate the gas from the water, they would have free energy. I'd go with a free way to heat my house in the winter any day of the week.
C
October 7, 2009 8:35 AM | Reply | Permalink
Think about that happening in a water heater.
October 7, 2009 11:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
Holy Crap!! Flammable water... shit!
Well it's not just Colorado's problem because a lot of water runs through CO to other places. I am glad I live in Boulder. I am wondering how our water is holding up. We are in so much trouble for being so lax in care of our environment... and business/jobs generally trumps health and environmental concerns... at least until we all start dropping dead or bursting into flames...
October 6, 2009 11:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
how can i get flammable water?
October 7, 2009 10:17 AM | Reply | Permalink
At your age it is just a matter of time.
October 7, 2009 11:29 AM | Reply | Permalink
Isn't there something ominous in USAPATRIOT ACT concerning the poisoning of public water supplies?
I mean, we all agree, that deliberately dumping a truck full of benzene into a reservoir would be a terrorist act, don't we?
It's difficult to do in the western states, but a lot of people in the Northeast still get their water out of wells - not just homeowners, but municipalities as well. The activity in PA and NY could have repercussions affecting dozens of millions of people.
October 7, 2009 10:24 AM | Reply | Permalink
Time for a class-action lawsuit, unless these people signed away their rights.
October 7, 2009 10:51 AM | Reply | Permalink
More misuse of words.
The water isn't flammable. In fact, the fire goes out because the water isn't flammable and puts out the fire.
What is flammable is the methane that is bubbling through the water.
True, having methane pockets in your pipes is not a highly desirable thing. Not because your house will blow up, but rather because you can burst your pipe.
While the flames are nice and dramatic, the fact is that methane in your water isn't doing anything more to you than when you drink soda where your sugar water is "contaminated" with CO2 bubbles. For example, if you carefully collect the gas coming out of your soda and dry to breath it, you will get a gag response.
I'd be much more concerned about the brown sludge at the beginning of the clip. This, too, however, is not surprising as water is pumped hard into the ground to raise up oil and natural gas. It's possible to pump to the point where you get cross contamination to an aquifer.
The fundamental problem is still that there are too many people on the planet... and some insist on making more.
October 7, 2009 12:34 PM | Reply | Permalink