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Study of the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing
on Drinking Water Resources: Progress Report December 2012
however, also provided non-confidential information. 28 Because the majority of the information has
been claimed as CBI, the analyses described below are being conducted in accordance with the
procedures outlined in the EPA’s TSCA CBI Protection Manual (US EPA, 2003b). All results are
treated as CBI until determinations are made or until masking has been done to prevent disclosure
of CBI information.
Summary of Service Company Operations. The EPA is using information provided by the companies
to write a narrative description of the range of their operations, which includes information on the
role of the service companies in each stage of the hydraulic fracturing water cycle.
Information has been compiled on the number and location of wells hydraulically fractured by the
nine service companies between September 2009 and October 2010, resulting in a map that
displays the number of wells fractured per county as reported by the companies. This information
is intended to illustrate the intensity and geographic distribution of hydraulic fracturing activities
by these companies.
Water Acquisition. The following information from the service company data on volumes, quality,
and sources of water used in hydraulic fracturing fluids is being summarized and will include:
• Water use by shale play. The range of water volumes used based on the shale play in which
the well is located. (The companies did not provide information on geologic formations
other than shale.)
• Procedures and considerations relating to water acquisition. Summary of any SOPs, water
quality requirements, water source preferences, and decision processes described in the
submissions from the nine service companies.
Chemical Mixing. The following information collected from the service companies is being
assembled to identify the composition of different hydraulic fracturing fluid formulations and the
factors that influence formulation composition:
• Chemical name
• Chemical formula
• Chemical Abstracts Service Registration Number (CASRN)
• Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs) for each fluid product
• Concentration of each chemical in each fluid product
• Manufacturer of each product and chemical
• Purpose and use of each chemical in each fluid product
28 The non-confidential information is available on the federal under docket number EPA-HQ-ORD-2010-0674 or via
http://www.regulations.gov/#!searchResults;rpp=10;po=0;s=epa-hq-ord-2010-0674.
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