Gas wastewater process plants 'increasing recycling'

Gas wastewater process plants in Pennsylvania are increasing the amount of the fluid that is recycled during the fracking process, amid concerns about the release of chemicals into drinking supplies, reports the Associated Press.

Until relatively recently, water polluted with strontium and barium, as well as sometimes containing benzene or radium, was released into watercourses after partial treatment.

The pollution occurs when the water is injected at high pressure into rock, splitting it open and releasing the gas deposits stored inside.

However, now there are concerns about the amount of pollution being released from wastewater process plants, with thousands of drilling contracts already approved in the state.

Kathryn Klaber, president and executive director of drilling operators representation group the Marcellus Shale Coalition, tells the newswire: "Pennsylvania is at the forefront of developing and implementing industry-leading water recycling and reuse technologies aimed at further reducing our environmental footprint."

Following a similar story in the New York Times last week, the coalition pointed out that it is moving towards 100 per cent recycling of wastewater from the fracking process - and already exceeds the state average reuse rate.