Sullivan et al. EPA Report. May 2015.
Summary
EPA scientists examined the balance between water supply and demand associated with hydraulic fracturing operations in the Susquehanna River basin in the eastern U.S., and the upper Colorado River basin in the western U.S. Researchers found that neither the Susquehanna River basin in Pennsylvania, nor the upper Colorado River basin are currently experiencing imbalance from water withdrawals directly from hydraulic fracturing operations. These reasons relate to different water user demands, water management practices, geologic conditions, and hydraulic fracturing operations in the two areas. This work was done as Part of EPA's Study of the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing for Oil and Gas on Drinking Water Resources.
You will need Adobe Reader to view some of the files on this page. See EPA’s About PDF page to learn more.