May 19, 2012

Oil and water: The right mix?

Everyone agrees hydraulic fracturing uses a lot of water, but is it so much as to cause alarm?

The raw numbers sure sound worrisome: tens of millions of gallons a year.

But what’s the context? Are the oil companies leaving Colorado high and dry? Has all of the fracturing going on across Northern Colorado diverted that much water from our farmers? Will children need to learn to brush their teeth with a lot less swishing and spitting?

As it turns out, the numbers aren’t quite what they appear.

Water use in fracturing makes up less than 1 percent of Colorado’s total annual water consumption,…

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