The sixth part in our series in which Nick Grealy, of No Hot Air, tests the weight of some of the biggest arguments pitted against fracking.

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#6 – Shale uses a lot of water

Well this one is actually fact. Shale does use a lot of water.

But compared to what? The 18,000 cubic metres of water needed for drilling a well with a life span of up to ten years is equal to the volume used to irrigate a 3 hectare corn field in one season or an 18 hole golf course in one month.

The entire volume of water used at the Cuadrilla Resources’ well in Lancashire UK is equal to water lost through leaking pipes in Manchester every day.

The UK Environment Agency, the Pennsylvania EPA and the New York State EPA all estimate the extra water requirement due to a full scale rollout as equal to an extra one tenth of one percent on water resources

This post is part of our series: 12 myths surrounding shale gas production, by Nick Grealy. Download the ebook here >