Re: Concerns raised with water diversion for fracking in Mountain View County
I totally agree with and support the McDougal Flats residents concerns for the possible loss of their fresh water source.
Fresh water access is critical for our survival and any potential loss must be taken seriously as there is not an endless supply like our energy regulator seems to think by continually issuing permits for Fracking.
In addition to water table declines fracking can also create small earthquakes that can disrupt infrastructures such as pipelines, water lines and underground cables as well as above ground ones as roads and power lines.
The average frack site can use up to six million gallons of water and there has been close to 2,000 wells fracked in Alberta this past year and over 180,000 since fracking was first approved. Can you imagine how much water has been lost to Albertans as a result? Likely equivalent to one of the great lakes.
In addition fracking can ruin water supplies by letting methane into the eater sources as described in Andrew Nikiforuk’s book “Slick Water which describes home owners in the Rosebud area as being able to light their water taps due to the methane in the water. Of course now their water supply is totally unusable.
If the Alberta government is unable to stop fracking due to their financial obligation to the oil and gas industry, then at least they should not allow it in settled areas where peoples well being could be at risk as a result of fracking - and McDougal Flats is such an at risk area.
It again emphasizes the truth of John Valiant’s comments in his recent book that we are not living in a society where our government controls the resource businesses, but are living in a society where the resource businesses control our government.
If the fracking at McDougal Flats is allowed to go ahead this just proves that John Valiant is absolutely right.
McDougal Flats keep up the fight for lots of clean safe fresh drinking water and no fracking.
Darrel Florence,
Cremona
