Are We Fracking With the Water-Energy Nexus?

What will it take to convince the federal government that water and energy are tightly intertwined…and therefore their respective planning and policy must be closely linked?

The answer might just be: The New York Times.

The newspaper’s recent investigative series on natural gas drilling, which has shed more light on hydrofracking’s adverse impact on water quality, served up yet another reminder that:

1) The federal government must lead the way in ensuring that energy policies don’t further degrade dwindling freshwater supplies and
2) Greater collaboration on energy and water resource planning is needed among federal, regional and state agencies as well as with industry, communities and other stakeholders.

The New York Times’ series on hydrofracking has lit a fire under the EPA as well as state environmental agencies.

These are worthwhile initiatives considering that energy and water are at the heart of the U.S. economy and our quality of life.

As a March 2007 Sandia Laboratories paper recommends: “energy and water must be recognized as highly interdependent critical resources that need to be managed together in a more integrated way to provide reliable energy and water supplies and sustain future national growth and economic development while maintaining the health of ecosystems and the environment.”

A roadmap would be extremely helpful in guiding future energy-water planning, policymaking and management. But wait, wasn’t Sandia Lab preparing such a roadmap?  Yes, that’s right…it was. But it appears to be dead in the water. Before we dig ourselves deeper into a borehole on the natural gas drilling front and latch onto any new ‘silver bullet’ solutions with respect to meeting energy demand, the federal government must produce a comprehensive roadmap that ensures sophisticated coordination between overlapping spheres of water and energy. This is a crucial public policy with implications for all Americans especially in terms of human health and quality of life. The cost of not having such a policy could be severe at a time when our national, state and local economies can’t take any more hits.

The New York Times’ series on hydrofracking has lit a fire under the EPA as well as state environmental agencies.

Let’s hope it can do the same for encouraging the government to do a better job at integrating management of water and energy resources.

Source: Ecocentric Blog (Kyle Rabin)

Shell’s proposed ‘fracking’ plans for the Karoo have been strongly opposed by the public, environmental groups, politicians and landowners.  Mining threatens South Africa’s water security; hydro-fracking for shale gas exploration is an extremely water-intensive operation and if allowed to occur in the critically water scarce Karoo, environmental degradation will occur.  South Africa’s precious groundwater runs the risk of contamination, not only depletion.  Initial exploratory drilling will require up to 10 million litres of water, with around the same amount being needed for each hydraulic fracturing of the underground rock. Not only does this water have to be sourced, but it is then mixed with a toxic cocktail of chemicals to aid the drilling and fracturing process (see No vision in Karoo fracking plans).

The link between water and energy has been well documented although the public (and even leaders) are often ignorant on this matter.  Water Rhapsody recognizes the intrinsic relationship between water and energy; we strive to supply the best quality water conservation systems and solar power solutions to homes and businesses.

Water Rhapsody Water Conservation Systems Mpumalanga offers water tank and rainwater tank installation, rainwater harvesting systems (see rainwater FAQ), grey water recycling  (see greywater FAQ) and water-saving devices for swimming pools and toilet flush systems (see product demo ).  Our WWF Award-winning water systems can be retrofitted or built into new buildings and can be adapted to small households or large business blocks, hospitals, schools, lodges & hotels.

Water Rhapsody has incorporated Yes Solar– official distributor of German-made Solsquare solar water heating systems that are installed by Eskom-accredited solar installers (our solar geysers are eligible for Eskom solar energy rebates).  We are authorized JoJo Water Tank dealers and Atlas Plastics water tank suppliers in Mpumalanga and Limpopo Province (best water tank prices in the Lowveld!).  We are also able to supply sanitary hardware such as waterless toilets through our JoJo Tanks and Atlas Plastics dealerships.

Contact us for a free quote on a solar water geyser, water tank or rainwater/gray water system today!