Lab Report: Hydraulic Fracturing

Introduction:
Hydraulic fracturing is the process in which a mixture of chemicals and water are used in combination to stimulate wells and expose minerals that previously would have been much too expensive to access using tradition methods.
With the process comes some detrimental environmental consequences, like water contamination, due to the chemicals used in the liquid mixture. According to an Earthworks article, only 0.5 to 2.0% of the “frack fluid” volume content is made up of chemicals, which sounds like a relatively small amount, but in 2010, it was estimated that nearly “70 to 140 billion gallons of water [were] used to fracture 35,000 wells in the United States” (www.earthworksaction.org). That is nearly 2.8 billion gallons of chemicals
In natural water, the pH can vary greatly based on the contents of the water. The pH test is important in relation to the the effects of hydraulic fracturing due to the chemical contents of the fracturing fluid. When these chemicals are mixed with any water solution, they cause the pH to increase greatly due the acidity of the chemicals. This can have a disastrous impact on the organic matter living the in the natural water reservoirs. During the lab, a basic paper test was done on the water sample, although not as accurate as the meter, the paper will still yield a good value for the pH of the Chippewa River sample. The pH recorded from the paper produced the results of 6.8 pH, 6.8 pH, and 6.8 pH, giving an average of 6.8 pH. The tests provided very accurate ratings, givings the same value all three times. The pH of natural waters, that contain gases, minerals, and chemicals, range between 5 to 9 pH. So the recorded value falls in between the two boundaries, showing that the pH levels of the Chippewa River demonstrate those of a healthy natural water source. This number can be used in comparison with any future testing to determine if the acidity of the water has changed significantly. A limitation for this test could be the weather before the samples were obtained, if it rained recently, the pH values would be higher as the water would be more mixed up and agitated. A second limitation is
During fracturing, these two ores can be dissolved, allowing for the ions to flow downstream into the rivers and lakes, resulting in exceedingly high barium levels in the water. This can cause high amounts of contamination in not only the lakes but drinking water reservoirs. Three separate trials were conducted using the colorimeter and a BariVer Barium Reagent Powder Pillow mixed with the water sample. The tests produced results of 2 mg/L, 1 mg/L, and 1 mg/L. It was decided that another test must be done to get the most precise results as possible, giving 1 mg/L. With three recordings all being the same, the 2 mg/L was discarded as an inaccurate reading, resulting in a precise average of 1 mg/L. The EPA has set a standard maximum contaminant level of 2 mg/L for tap water. So when compared, this water is fairly barium free at the moment, but that could drastically change if hydraulic fracturing occurs upstream. The numbers recorded from this set now stand as a base for further investigations. One limitation for this experiment is due to the overuse of the testing glassware, if the glass was dirty, the readings could be slightly off. Another source of error could be related to the powder pillows, as some of them held much more reagent powder than