That Disgusting Oil-Reeking Fluid Coming From Your Tap? It's WATER!

Scene from the documentary ‘Gasland’ in which a homeowner lights his tap water on fire. Below: Fracking scene on the Colorado Front Range.

In the superb anti-fracking documentary "Gasland" one scene shows a homeowner actually lighting the water as it pours from his tap. This to show how much methane is in that water. Meanwhile, in another scene, a homeowner nearly vomits after trying to get a glass of water from his tap and finding it reeks like kerosene and has a brownish hue. He tosses it away and goes out to get bottled water.

According to Josh Fox the Director:

“This isn't some dystopian nightmare, but the harsh reality in communities from Texas to Colorado to Pennsylvania. People are feeling completely upended,"

This is thanks to gas companies which have been leasing thousands of acres of pristine watershed land while laying waste to communities and water supplies, unleashing thousands of cancers in the wake.  This in a nation which lacks any true universal health coverage (the Obamacare plan doesn't qualify since people still have to pay through a private insurer in an 'exchange' or on the open market.)

And what has the gas industry's response been to the film? PROPAGANDA! BWAAAHAAAHA!

Bull pockey! The scenes don't lie, and in truth it is the fossil fuel industry and gassers that create the propaganda. "Oh, there  ain't nothin' to fret over! We won't destroy your water supply or health!"    In a pig's eye! In fact, the analogy is very close to the era (still extant) where toxic sludge is used as 'fertilizer' despite containing hundreds of toxins, effluent and carcinogenic chemicals. See, for example, the book  'Toxic Sludge is Good For You' - the handbook for all PR meisters and hacks.  

Meanwhile, here in Colorado, a number of recent toxic frack spills are setting the stage for our own flaming faucets and oil-slick glasses of H2O. According to a Denver Post Report (Feb. 15, p. 1A) :   "PDC Energy workers at the site of an 84,000 gallon spill of greenish, oil-laden fracking fluid on Thursday said they had pretty well cleaned up the mess." 

Maybe so, but bear in mind that NO inspectors were at the site, so we don't really know what they did with the effluent, or if they pumped it back into underground aquifers. (PDC operates 2,500 wells in the Waterburg formation along the Front Range).  Meanwhile, we are informed (ibid.): "Colorado Oil and Gas Commission regulators are continuing to monitor the cleanup".

 Wow, THAT is encouraging!  State spokesman Todd Hartmann added:   "Rest assured we will be physically engaged- present- AT the site!"  

Jeebus peace! I can now sleep peacefully at night! Wonder of wonders! Maybe I won't have to deal with flaming faucets after all!   The Post article also noted that PDC has reported a dozen spills over the past year including 6 in the past two months. Evidently, in the worst one a "mechanical failure" was to blame. The result?   "Water fouled with  oil and chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing sprayed from the well (4 miles north of Windsor) for more than 30 hours."  

The same report notes that a Jan. 22 spill released oil "contaminating groundwater with benzene, toluene and xylene chemicals"  

And the gas fuckers, excuse me.....FRACKERS.. still want to shout down "Gasland" as propaganda?  

The Post report goes on (p. 7A) to add that:   "expanding operations around Colorado have reported more than 2,000 spills over the past 5 years with roughly 17% contaminating ground water."  

Now, this is in a state which has a severe drought and for which there are and have been water restrictions in many parts. A state that can barely support its water-intensive agriculture, yet can afford to waste or contaminate millions of gallons from our watershed, aquifers with fracked water.  

Meanwhile, here in COS, our Colorado Springs Utilities, at the behest of the City Council, and despite our being in a severe drought, plans to lease or auction off tens of millions of gallons of water for oil, gas fracking. ('Drilling in a Drought', Colorado Springs Independent, Feb-13-19, p. 14).   President Scott Hente insists: "It's a perception issue! We will have brown grass and yards and pumping gas like crazy!"  

Well, maybe not the lawns, but how about the tap water reeking of oil and laden with benzene, xylene and toluene? Look, Hente, I really, really do not want a return of the prostate cancer for which I just got treated!  

The COS Utilities insists it's no biggie (ibid.) since each fracked well only consumes 3-5 million gallons of water per frack.   Huh! Seems a lot to waste in a frickin' drought!   The Utilities projects this water usage for 12-24 wells and "one time only" but omits mentioning that some technical estimates have put the water use per frack at 9 million gallons, and a single well can be fracked up to ten times.

In other words, the standard is to "use the water to extinction".  

Just fucking great you knotheads! And maybe, just maybe this will be our extinction! How does that old saying go: "You won't miss the water until the well runs dry". Well, we're nearly there here in Colorado!   Maybe when Gov. Hickenlooper pulled that stunt a year or so ago, drinking fracked water to show it's tasty and good, he really ought to have waited for the spill near Windsor. Then he could have scooped up some of that greenish crap and had at it! At least it'd have been more believeable!