Interesting. I'm not 100% convinced but maybe this can spark some discussion with the stews!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
The Cost of Natural Gas
Water is undoubtedly one of the most precious commodities on our Earth, but I don’t need to tell you that. Still, in both water rich and water poor societies we continue to put our limited freshwater supplies in danger during our quest for new sources of fossil fuels, even here in Ohio.
Hydraulic fracturing, or ‘fracking,’ is a process of extracting natural gas from shale located hundreds, even thousands, of feet below the earth. It involves shooting a mixture of water, gravel, sand, and undisclosed toxic chemicals into deep wells to fracture the shale in attempts to bring the gas to the surface. Thanks to advancements in technology fracking is now an economically feasible way to get at these resources. In Ohio landowners as near as Yellow Springs have been approached about leasing the minerals rights under their property for fracking.
Fracking has been seen as a potential threat for three reasons: the possibility of aquifer and water table contamination, water depletion, and waste water disposal. Across the nation wells have been contaminated with the fracking water used by energy companies, making it impossible to drink. The process uses 3-6 million gallons of water per well, with only a small portion recoverable and none suitable for human consumption. With hundreds of wells in a given area, it quickly becomes a drain on the region’s aquifer and water resources. Finally, recent articles and studies suggest that most waste water facilities do not have the capacity to adequately treat this by-product, releasing a toxic and radioactive water back into our river systems.
What can we do about it? During Power Shift 2011 Ohio students will have the opportunity to join together to discuss how we can organize and influence change to stop fracking from spreading in our state. The Ohio Student Environmental Coalition is generously offering to help subsidize costs for up to 10 UD students interested in attending Power Shift in Washington D.C April 15-18th. If you or any student you may know is interested in more information about this amazing opportunity, please contact me at mclean.i.johnson@gmail.com. If left unchecked, fracking could cause serious problems across Ohio and to all of our watersheds.
Hydraulic fracturing, or ‘fracking,’ is a process of extracting natural gas from shale located hundreds, even thousands, of feet below the earth. It involves shooting a mixture of water, gravel, sand, and undisclosed toxic chemicals into deep wells to fracture the shale in attempts to bring the gas to the surface. Thanks to advancements in technology fracking is now an economically feasible way to get at these resources. In Ohio landowners as near as Yellow Springs have been approached about leasing the minerals rights under their property for fracking.
Fracking has been seen as a potential threat for three reasons: the possibility of aquifer and water table contamination, water depletion, and waste water disposal. Across the nation wells have been contaminated with the fracking water used by energy companies, making it impossible to drink. The process uses 3-6 million gallons of water per well, with only a small portion recoverable and none suitable for human consumption. With hundreds of wells in a given area, it quickly becomes a drain on the region’s aquifer and water resources. Finally, recent articles and studies suggest that most waste water facilities do not have the capacity to adequately treat this by-product, releasing a toxic and radioactive water back into our river systems.
What can we do about it? During Power Shift 2011 Ohio students will have the opportunity to join together to discuss how we can organize and influence change to stop fracking from spreading in our state. The Ohio Student Environmental Coalition is generously offering to help subsidize costs for up to 10 UD students interested in attending Power Shift in Washington D.C April 15-18th. If you or any student you may know is interested in more information about this amazing opportunity, please contact me at mclean.i.johnson@gmail.com. If left unchecked, fracking could cause serious problems across Ohio and to all of our watersheds.
Monday, March 7, 2011
New 1913?
I was reading a copy of the Dayton Daily News today and stumbled upon the article about the flooding in the area: http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/more-rain-this-week-flooding-still-a-concern-1099101.html?cxtype=rss_local-newsIn the paper edition, it shows a large picture of Taylorsville Dam witthe water level nearly reaching the grass. If you guys remember, this is where we start orientation. Remember the calm, peaceful water as we put our boats in? The images today and yesterday of the river show gushing water, almost looking like rapids. It made me think of the show I watched the other day, and how relative depth area. I was watching 'Hooked' on National Geographic the other night (crazy show about wild fishing adventures all over the world, kind of like river monsters) and they were on the Congo River doing research on the some estimated 300,000 species of fish. The river was estimated, by the scientific team, to be deeper than 8500 ft in certain spots. The rapids, along an 80 mile stretch, are insurpassable by boat other than kayak. The episode showed four kayakers take on the huge rapids and whirpools. It's a great episode, if you get a chance to watch it. Here's a bit showing the rapids and some fish of the river:http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/hooked/3826/Videos/06321_00Here in Dayton, some areas are flooded just past 12 ft, like in Sidney. In the DRC, the Congo River is 100x the depth of the flooded Great Miami. It is scary for the locals here to think back to the 1913 flood, and the damage current levels might cause. Then you compare it to the monstrous size and power of the Congo, and the local peoples' scary situation, with their dependency on such an unstable resource (besides the civil war and dangerous rebel-controlled areas along the river).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)