"Leaking Underground CO2 Storage Could Contaminate Drinking Water"

"Leaks from carbon dioxide injected deep underground to help fight climate change could bubble up into drinking water aquifers near the surface, driving up levels of contaminants in the water tenfold or more in some places, according to a study by Duke University scientists.

Based on a year-long analysis of core samples from four drinking water aquifers, "We found the potential for contamination is real, but there are ways to avoid or reduce the risk," says Robert B. Jackson, Nicholas Professor of Global Environmental Change and professor of biology at Duke.

'Geologic criteria that we identified in the study can help identify locations around the country that should be monitored or avoided,' he says. 'By no means would all sites be susceptible to problems of water quality.'"

SPX had the story November 15, 2010.