Letter: Water is paramount in fracking study

To the Editor:

I hope the group working on the environmental study related to the proposed frac sand mine zoning will emphasize the amount of clean/fresh water that the mine will end up using per day/per month/ per year. This cannot be emphasized enough.

According to the WI Department of Natural Resources, “Silica sand mining and processing … expected average water use ranges from 420,500 gallons per day to 2 million gallons per day (292-380 gallons per minute).”

We (all of humanity) are in a fresh water crisis. As you may already be aware only 2.5 percent of our water is fresh water and 79 percent of that is frozen in glaciers. As those glaciers melt, the majority melt into salt water. The Ogallala Aquifer under the Midwest is being drained much faster than it can replenish.

With climate change occurring at a faster rate than previously understood our fresh water can not be taken for granted. The droughts we are seeing are going to occur more frequently, last summer was an example of more to come, not a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence.

Mining companies will consider it their right to take the water.

We must have fresh water to survive. We can survive without frac sand, but we have to have fresh water to live and to grow food.

Protecting our water supply needs to be a priority. We have to think about our future.

References:

1. dnr.wi.gov/topic/mines/documents/silicasandminingfinal.pdf

2. Withgott, J. & Brennan, S. (2011) Environment: The Science Behind the Stories (4th Ed.) San Francisco, CA: Pearson

Natasha Yates

Red Wing

Tags: opinion, letters