"Fracking Did Not Sully Aquifers, Limited Study Finds"

"A new study enters the debate over the safety of hydraulic fracturing: researchers report that naturally occurring paths in the rock bed in northeastern Pennsylvania allowed some contaminants to migrate into shallow drinking aquifers. They found no direct connection between the contamination and shale-gas drilling operations in the region, however."

"'The good news is there is no direct link between this finding with saline water and shell gas extraction,' said Avner Vengosh, a geochemist at Duke University and a co-author of the report, published on Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 'The bad news is that we think there are natural pathways that exist between the Marcellus formation and the shallow groundwater.'"

Rachel Nuwer reports for the New York Times July 9, 2012.

SEE ALSO:

"New Study: Fluids From Marcellus Shale Likely Seeping Into PA Drinking Water" (ProPublica)

"Rising Shale Water Complicates Fracking Debate" (NPR)

"Pennsylvania Fracking Can Put Water at Risk, Study Finds" (Bloomberg)

"Underground Paths Boost Risk of Fracking Pollution: Study" (AFP)