Marcellus Shale: Material Drinking Water Risks?

If natural gas prices continue to fall as a result of the current economic downturn, the rush for a piece of the Marcellus Shale action may also subside. After all, the long-known deposits of natural gas in the Marcellus Shale region, which stretches from New York State to Tennessee, have been all the rage in 2007 and 2008, largely because the price of fossil fuels spiked. But whether drilling happens now or later, it is expected to happen, and one of the oft-asked questions is this: Does the hydraulic fracturing ("fracing") of subsurface rock formations necessary to enhance the extraction of Marcellus Shale gas deposits carry with it a material risk of contamination of potable groundwater? A second question is emerging, driven by expanding land development, climate change concerns, and the recent memory of Georgia's acute water shortage: Is fracing too water intensive?