First of all, what is hydraulic fracking? Hydraulic fracking is a way to help extract oil and natural gas out of the earth. Why do people consider fracking controversial? For companies to extract as much oil as possible, they must shoot water at extremely high pressure at rocks in order to fracture rock beneath the surface.

Water, sand and chemicals are mixed to help crack these rocks. Many people think that hydraulic fracking will pollute our water wells. The typical depth of a well in Colorado is anywhere from 40-1,000 feet deep. Meanwhile, the typical depth of a frack is 5,000 feet deep. This can be a difference of 4,000 feet.

In between the water table and the frack are several layers of solid rock. This serves as a protective barrier, so the chemicals cannot escape up into the water table. If performed correctly, fracking will not harm the surrounding environment. Fracking is an essential part of today’s economy. Therefore, people should support this effective technique of extracting oil from the ground.

Matthew Knickerbocker

Bayfield High School senior