By Ben Parfitt, September 15, 2010
For the Program on Water Issues
Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto

Will Canada’s Water be Protected in the Rush to Develop Shale Gas?

But every gale comes with its own storm warnings. Even supporters of the unconventional resource now admit that “water has emerged as the highest visibility environmental issue” associated with shale gas production. In fact  wherever the shale industry has invaded rural communities, controversy about water use, groundwater contamination and the regulation of the industry has doggedly followed. “The largest challenges lie in the area of water management, particularly the effective disposal of fracture fluids,” notes a 2010 MIT report on natural gas.

Unlike the United States where the US Congress and state regulators are fully engaged in public policy debates, neither the National Energy Board nor Environment Canada have yet raised any substantive questions about ‘the shale gale’ or its impact on water resources. The pace of the shale gas revolution demands greater scrutiny before more
fracture lines appear across the country.

Click here to read the full report.