Fracking in California Causes High Level of Benzene in Well Water

This story is shocking! monterey-shale

Waste water testing from fracking operations in California show levels of the human carcinogen benzene up to 700 times the federal standard.

“How can this happen?” you ask. “Aren’t these operations closely regulated by health officials?” You would think so …

But, for some reason the state regulators responsible for fracking regulations in California, the Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources, blew it. Even the federal Environmental Protection Agency called this situation “shocking.”

Regardless of how this was allowed to happen, it shows that the common citizen cannot just assume the regulators responsible for making sure fracking operations are not contaminating our drinking water are really doing their job.

That’s why we keep preaching to homeowners near fracking areas, especially those who get their drinking water from their private well:

Get a baseline water test.

Ideally, this would be done before drilling begins.

Then have it tested periodically after the baseline test. This enables you to track the results to see if any parameters are showing up at higher levels than the prior test.

It’s a relatively inexpensive way to be sure your drinking water is safe.

The parameter benzene that was the center of the California debacle can be tested for as part of a test for volatile organic compounds. Many of these VOCs can prove harmful to humans if present at an elevated level.

You can read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/Zasy6F

To learn more about water testing, read about our ‘Bang-for-the-Buck’ Essential Indicators Water Test.