Frac Fluid Ingredients Publicly Available

Developing certain types of natural gas wells in West Virginia requires putting water into the gas-producing strata under high pressure, in order to fracture the strata and make gas flow more easily and in greater quantities. The water often has small amounts of additives that are there to make the frac fluid flow more easily and perform more efficiently. Companies that prepare the frac fluid additives often keep the exact mixtures a trade secret, in order to avoid providing information to their competitors. This has led to some persons alleging that unknown toxins are being introduced into drinking water as a result of gas drilling, especially in the Marcellus Shale. Some in Congress appear to want to change the Safe Drinking Water Act to subject fracking to Underground Injection Control regulations, which would be a great burden on oil and gas operators.

The fact is, the components of frac fluid additives are freely available. Attached is a great chart explaining exactly what is in the fluids, although not their precise composition. Also, any drilling rig using frac fluids will have a Material Safety Data Sheet for the frac fluids, explaining by chemical category what is in the additives. MSDSs are required for just about every chemical you'll find at any work location.

It is just as important to understand how wells are drilled in West Virginia and elsewhere. The Marcellus Shale and other conventional plays (those other than coalbed methane) are not drinking water formations. When boreholes go through drinking water strata , producers are required to insert casing that seals off the drinking water from the frac fluid that goes down and the produced water and gas that comes up. Producers are also required to test drinking water sources near the wells. These and other protections prevent contamination of water supplies. Similar controls apply in other states, as shown in this web page from Energy In Depth.