CSIR: Water in Karoo not enough to support fracking.

[daveza]

http://ewn.co.za/2016/11/24/water-in-the-karoo-basin-not-enough-to-support-fracking-operations

There is not enough water in the Karoo basin to support fracking operations.

This has been revealed in an environmental assessment by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

The report was commissioned in 2012 by the Department of Mineral Resources to investigate the feasibility of shale gas development in the Karoo.

Treasure Karoo Action Group’s Jonathan Deal says water in the region is already constrained especially in the wake of the drought.

“Our water from the Karoo is from under the ground and if one of those aquifers is polluted by a fracking operation or a mistake however well intentioned, there’s no Plan B. You can’t buy a new aquifer or flush it out.”

The CSIR’s assessment indicates fracking does not pose a significant risk to agricultural productivity if the risk to ground water resources is adequately addressed.

But the report warns South Africa does not have the capacity to undertake the analyses necessary for water chemistry monitoring needed for shale gas development.

Let's hope that puts an end to it.

 

[dualmeister]

Since when do facts ever stop the guavament ...

 

[Rouxenator]

Dammit!

 

[konfab]

Shocking journalism.

Why don't they give quotes from the report about the matter instead of giving the opinion from some soil hugging hippie?
From the report with respect to the labs:

Lack of laboratories in South Africa (RSA) for water chemistry analysis is a severe constraint. Although most accredited local (RSA) laboratories are equipped to carry out the more routine water analyses (e.g. major cations and anions), none are capable of analysing for determinands such as H, and CH4. Sufficient lead-in time must be allowed for such facilities to be established prior to baseline monitoring requirements

ENCA just left out the part where the report says that we can establish such facilities.

Onto the water:
The report says that there isn't enough borehole water to support fracking, and if there was, it should rather be used for other purposes. What ENCA left out is that fracking doesn't need crystal clear mineral water to work. The report says that they can support the operation by bringing in external supplies of water, or by using the very deep water that is unfit for human consumption.

To combat the risk of groundwater contamination from a leaking well, they say that fracking should only occur in the areas that have a medium or low sensitivity to groundwater contamination. This would have a low risk which they define as:

Extremely unlikely (<1 chance in 10 000 of having a consequence of any discernible magnitude); or if more likely than this, then the negative impact is noticeable but slight, i.e. although discernibly beyond the mean experienced in the absence of the impact, it is well within the tolerance or adaptive capacity of the receiving environment (for instance, within the range experienced naturally, or less than 10%); or is transient (< 1 year for near-full recovery).

You can get the report here:
http://seasgd.csir.co.za/scientific-assessment-chapters/