How safe is our water supply with acid being injected into oil wells?
On March 4 a concerned Fullerton resident named Sherri Davison announced during the public comments period of a meeting of the Fullerton City Council that five oil wells in the city are being “acidized.” The processes of acidizing and fracturing to increase accessibility of fossil fuels deep underground are controversial nationwide. Fracturing, or “fracking,” as it has become known, has been blamed for everything from poisoned water supplies to earthquakes. The process involves shooting chemicals into rock to break it up in order to access hard to reach fossil fuels deep below. Acidizing is the practice of flushing corrosive acids into wells to dissolve sediments in order to increase the permeability of rocks deep in the ground, releasing crude fossil fuels. As oil and natural gas become harder to find drillers are using fracking and acidizing more often.
Sherri Davison explains that five oil wells in Fullerton are being acidized. Does this practice sound safe to you?
Neither process sounds safe to many people, including the National Climate Lobby and a host of other groups urging bans on fracking and acidizing in states and cities across the country. The City of Los Angeles recently instituted a moratorium on acidizing wells.
On March 15 the North Orange County branch of the National Climate Lobby and the Brea Congregational Church will host an event at Rolling Hills Park to ‘raise awareness of the dangers of “fracking” and “acidizing.”’
The site was chosen because of its close proximity to an oil spill in a creek at the corner of Bastanchury Rd. and St. College Blvd. in early January. The organizers are asking the following questions:
Do the toxic and carcinogenic chemicals used in fracking and acidizing pose a threat to our health, water or air?
Does using millions of gallons of water per oil well make sense in a state experiencing severe drought?
Were toxic chemicals released into the air or dumped into Fullerton Creek in the Jan. 2-6 oil spill?
Why did it take crews in hazmat suits four days to clean up the creek and how do we know if it is safe now?
Is the water leak at Mountain View Park connected to the acidizing of the wells?
These dangerous chemicals are being trucked in on our streets. Are police and fire depts. prepared in case of an accident?
fullertonrag.com 
Here’s a link that might be useful. http://www.breaucc.org/social-action-team.
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Science nerd here. I’m not familiar with this website, so I’m not sure what sort of things are usually posted… but based of this article, it seems like a tabloid.
Fracking is a complicated process which, though controversial, is largely criticized by those who don’t bother learning about it.
I wish this post was a bit more full of journalism/research/answers than just ominous questions about some big bad fracking wolf… because the answer to all of your questions, as far as studies have shown thus far, is “no, it isn’t dangerous.” The second one of them shows otherwise, I’ll join your side of the fence.
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How long have you been working for CHEVRON? I ask based on the utter stupidity of your comment. The United States Geological Survey has already determined that there is INDEED a connection between fracking and earthquakes. As has the State of Idaho, which has placed a MORATORIUM on such activities until more research can be conducted. Obviously, they must be wasting their time because YOU have determined that fracking is OK. (Last sentence edited out for inappropriate content – FR).2
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I just stumbled across your comment today. As someone who has been working on the O&G issue here in Idaho–extensively, for several years now– I can tell you that THERE IS NO SUCH MORATORIUM HERE IN IDAHO!!
I am not sure where you got this information, but it is absolutely incorrect. In fact, our legislature has passed several different bills, one of which now ALLOWS fracking, which prior to 2012 was NOT allowed here in Idaho.
Feel free to email me if you have other questions.
Alma Hasse
idahocare@yahoo.com
Co-Founder Idaho Residents Against Gas Extraction – IRAGE
Ex. Dir. Idaho Concerned Area Resident for the Environment – ICARE
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Hi Shaun – I have actually invested MUCH time investigating fracking and acidization of our local oil wells. Come to our educational event on March 15th and you will find us to be well informed, thoughtful and concerned citizens. This unregulated activity has NOT been studied and found to be safe. The oil servicing companies have not even had to disclose where these activities were taking place until 14 months ago, and AQMD is just now doing some of the first studies.
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Here is a link that shows that the National EPA has not even issued regulatory guidelines, due later this year, providing the safeguards required to do this safely should be everyone’s concern.
Click to access fracking-in-california.pdf
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These are important questions that need serious exploration by all of us. This blog serves its readers well by shining a light and stimulating a conversation.
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Hi Sherri,
Will there be any ‘experts’ there on Saturday? If so, who?
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We discovered no experts on the particular situation in Fullerton and Brea which is why we decided to share what we have learned. We consulted a wide variety of people from AQMD, scientific & academic communities have formulated an educational resource document. We are hopeful we can be a positive force in helping to motivate people to understand the complexities of a rapidly evolving situation. Here is a link to the document.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/xbbp0wplx6n91x2/Brea%20UCC%20Fracking%20Educational%20Resources.docx
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Thank you. I would think you might include solid background to the why, where and how these processes are used.
See:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydraulic_fracturing
Acidizing – I found some conflicting information.
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Great link John. We will put it on the list. When researching acidizing my best source of information was from the AQMD and an individual that has actually observed the process from start to finish. FYI there is a difference between hydraulic acidizing and acidizing, and to the best of our knowledge the Fullerton wells are not being fractured. I was told the naturally occuring earthquakes have already broken up the shale formations. Therefore only acidization is required to bring up the oil. Some sources say a well can be acidized up to 10 times, but I am sure there is a cost benefit analysis to determine if continued acidizing is cost effective.
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Hi: here is an updated resource link with John’s suggestion added. We encourage other suggestions! Thanks for the community effort.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/rbh9h75n3kc60gl/3.12%20Brea%20UCC%20Fracking%20Educational%20Resources.docx
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Hi – most recent link on educational resources!
https://www.dropbox.com/s/rbh9h75n3kc60gl/3.12%20Brea%20UCC%20Fracking%20Educational%20Resources.docx
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Thanks. I found this comment of interest ( from: http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/312-16/19217-frackings-more-dangerous-bedfellow-acidizing ). Appears that the issue appears to be use of HF. Apparently not currently in use but being considered for use. Seems brea uses HCL. See comment below:
“Hydrofluoric Acid is also used in etching glass. However, I have worked in an area where there has been oil production for literally 90+ years. Every acidizing job that I have heard of used either hydrochloric or Sulfuric acid, not hydrofluoric. Maybe they use it in California, but I wonder why?
On the other hand hydrochloric acid is used in large volumes all over the place. It is commonly used to wash the face of any new brick exterior wall. One plant in Niagara Falls NY used to ship 10 to 12 railcars per day of Muriatic Acid (the other name for Hydrochloric acid)..
Without acidizing oil production anywhere would come to an almost complete halt within 3 to 5 years. When oil is produced it brings with it small grains of rock slowly plug the passages through which oil flows to the well bore. Acid is used to clean those passages.
The oil industry is minor user of acids, adding additional regulations will effect everuyone from contractors, to automakers, to plastic manufacturers, and raise the prices we pay for many, many things.”
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The AQMD database has a list of each well being acidized and a chemical report for each well. HF is being used in both Brea and Fullerton wells. Transitioning to a post carbon energy model will indeed be a challenge that could spur innovation and technological breakthroughs.
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Can you provide a link so I can see? Is this about ‘post carbon’ and it’s relationship with climate change?
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http://xappprod.aqmd.gov/r1148pubaccessportal/Home/Index Use event ID 1079 for a Fullerton Oil Well and event ID 338 for Brea and you will see the HF listed. I’ve looked at the chemical reports on all the Brea & Fullerton oil wells and they look pretty similiar!
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Check out photos from rally and hear our STOP FRACKING anthem.
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Sherri Davison-
I would like to have an exact location of the fracking site and overlay it to the epicenters of the recent earthquakes (3/28/14). Fracking, according to the USGS, has been linked to a 6x increase in earthquakes in Oklahoma. Being there are no regulations for it in CA, I have to wonder how only 10 days ago it began here and now we have a significant earthquake near where they are doing it. The main shock occurred, according to the USGS site, just under Euclid and Imperial. Given that fracking well lines can extend over 7,000 feet at an angle, and if it started near Bastanchury hill, is this plausible?
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So let me get this straight.Fullerton is fracking and now we have suddenly become the earthquake epicenter for the entire state.HMMMMM!
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They are fracking in LaHabra and Brea, and they are acidizing in Fullerton. I think the earthquake correlation is more to fracking than acidizing. They began fracking a well in LaHabra just over a month ago.
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This is really scary stuff…does the city, county, state have any “so-called” experts looking into the fact that the fracking and the earthquakes may be correlated? Do they even care? I think it’s funny are government won’t allow the keystone oil pipeline to safely bring us oil from Canada.They won’t allow cars that get 50 gallons or more to be sold or owned in this country yet they will allow fracking in densely populated areas. It makes no sense.Can you let me know of any upcoming events having to do with this issue? I would love to attend the next one.Maybe you could send me a friend request on facebook and I could stay in touch that way. Thanks
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Hi Jeff – tried to find you on facebook, but you did not pop. Perhaps you can find me. Following the Fullerton Observer will be a good alternative as Sharon Kennedy is committed to staying up on this issue also!
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