GEF

Unit 2  |  Water Science and the Water Cycle 58 Mining processes release toxic chemicals into waterbodies making them uninhabitable for aquatic life. Mining and drilling for fossil fuels is another contributor to water pollution. Water draining from mines is often contami- nated with sulfuric acid, a strongly acidic chemical that is toxic to aquatic animals and plants. Mountaintop removal , a coal mining technique in which explosives are used to gain access to coal seams, produces enormous quantities of mining fill. When this fill is dumped in streams, pollutants are released into the water, including salts and metals that harm ecosystems. Fracking , or hydraulic fracturing , has recently gained media attention for its negative effect on groundwater. A technique for accessing underground natural gas deposits, fracking uses pressurized water and chemicals in order to fracture rock layers and release natural gas. Many activists and scientists have raised concerns that fracking is releasing toxic chemicals into groundwater reserves. As a result of this pressure, energy companies have agreed to curtail fracking in some areas that supply municipal drinking water. However, the use of fracking continues to grow as global energy demands increase. MOUNTAINTOP REMOVAL A mining technique in which explosives are used to expose coal seams. HYDRAULIC FRACTURING (FRACKING) The process of drilling wells into the shale and injecting water combined with chemi- cals into the wells at high pressure in order to crack the shale horizontally and force natural gas out and up to the surface.