EPA's Study of Hydraulic Fracturing and Its Potential Impact on Drinking Water Resources

2011 Technical Workshops

EPA held four technical workshops in February and March 2011 on these subjects integral to hydraulic fracturing: chemical and analytical methods; well construction and operations; fate and transport; and water resource management. For each workshop, EPA selected between 40-50 technical experts from the oil and natural gas industry, consulting firms, laboratories, state and federal agencies, and environmental organizations to participate in the workshops. The technical workshops were intended to:

  1. inform EPA of the current technology and practices being used in hydraulic fracturing,
  2. identify research related to the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources, and
  3. provide an opportunity for EPA scientists to interact with technical experts.

EPA will use the information presented in these abstracts and presentations to inform research that effectively evaluates the relationship between hydraulic fracturing and drinking water.

The links below will take you to pages that include summaries of the presentations and discussion sessions as well as abstracts for each presentation.

For more information on the workshop topics, you can view the Technical Workshops Flyer (PDF)