Arsenic and Old Water

The question of fracking's effect on water contamination is still up in the air as far some UTexas researchers are concerned. In a recent study they found groundwater near natural gas fracking sites in Texas’ Barnett Shale contained arsenic, selenium and strontium which were above EPA’s maximum contaminate limit for drinking water. Previous tests of the same area did not find the same level of metals, far from it. At the same time they found uncontaminated water near some gas wells.  The researchers do not believe that they have a smoking gun.  The EPA agrees with them, despite water contamination having been reported in more than a thousand places where drilling is happening.