![]() These impacts include declines in native fish populations and changes in plant populations on stream banks.Īquatic habitats on the Eastern seaboard could be in particular jeopardy. NPCA’s Center for Park Research analyzed the impacts of reduced water flows on native fishes and natural river processes in national parks along the Colorado River in a 2011 report. This report focuses on the ways in which management of the dams along the Colorado River and its major tributaries affects resources in five national parks in the Colorado River… See more › National Parks of the Colorado River Basin Many thousands of wells have already been drilled, and demand is growing. Fracking a single gas or oil well requires millions of gallons of water. Water Quantityįracking operations do not affect water quality alone-they also remove great quantities of water from places that cannot spare it. The implications for wildlife-and people-are ominous. Cattle exposed to fracking fluids suffered serious reproductive problems and, in some cases, death. Duke University researchers believe natural fissures between layers of rock and groundwater could let toxic fluids rise to the surface, where they may pollute water used by people or wildlife. In some places, facilities discharge contaminated wastewater great distances from the original well sites, making fracking’s environmental consequences even more far-reaching.įracking may also contaminate groundwater. In some production areas, companies have trucked wastewater off-site to municipal treatment facilities, but these facilities aren’t equipped to remove some pollutants, and the treated water they discharge can remain high in compounds known to kill fish, corrode metal, and contribute to the excessive growth of certain algae (which in turn can lead to more fish kills). As a result, wastewater generated by hydraulic fracturing can be a dangerous brew with few effective options for disposal or treatment. ![]() These fluids, known as flow back liquids, contain chemicals, lubricants, and naturally occurring pollutants such as salts, radium, and barium. Water QualityĪbout 20 to 40 percent of the water injected into a fracked well belches back to the surface during drilling and production. And for the pronghorns that migrate into Grand Teton National Park, energy equipment and roads literally block established migration routes. More than 85% of the once dominant sagebrush steppe habitat, which supports 100 bird and 70 mammal species in Wyoming alone, has been lost. Western landscapes have been especially hard hit. Research has found that the impacts from even a single well pad and road can be dramatic, from the reduction of intact forest-by 22 percent in Pennsylvania’s Marcellus shale region-to changing the balance of species in the region, resulting in the loss of native plants and animals and the rise of invasive weed species. This relatively new extraction method is now responsible for 90 percent… See more › Hydraulic fracturing (or “fracking”) has the potential to rewrite America’s energy future, presenting the possibility of an energy-independent nation. Wells and machinery on nearby land can physically block and break up the habitat that wildlife needs for survival. ![]() Habitat FragmentationĪnimals do not know when they leave national park boundaries. ![]() The research carried out so far-outlined in the four categories below-shows clear impacts on the land, water, and air that wildlife depend on. The profusion of rigs, roads, and machinery so close to national park landscapes is troublesome for these parks and for the diversity of life within them. national park units lie either directly above or within 25 surface miles of shale basins, meaning that wildlife in dozens of national parks could be impacted, including Channel Islands, Santa Monica Mountains, Grand Teton, Canyonlands, New River Gorge, Mammoth Cave, and Delaware Water Gap. More than one-third of the more than 400 U.S. ![]() From the eastern boundary of Glacier National Park in Montana, visitors can throw a stone and hit any of 16 exploratory wells and associated holding tanks, pump jacks, and machinery used to force millions of gallons of pressurized water, sand, and chemicals into shale rock formations thousands of feet beneath the surface. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |