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(Image source: Conservation Fisheries)
BY ADAM FALK
A study released Wednesday found a fracking fluid spill likely caused the widespread death
of fish in a Kentucky stream.
The U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted the study.
It says the 2007 spill released deadly chemicals into the Acorn Fork Creek in southeastern
Kentucky.
That includes hydrochloric acid. Which as a frame of reference can do this to a McDonald's
cheeseburger. Yikes. (Via YouTube / periodicvideos)
It's believed the acid, along with increased aluminum and iron, killed off most of the
aquatic life near the four well sites. One species of fish affected was the blackside
dace. (Via Wikimedia Commons, Wikimedia Commons, Conservation Fisheries)
These small fish are reportedly good indicators of environmental health because of their sensitivity
to changes in water quality. They've been on the federally threatened list since the
1980s, and two were found dead just downstream from the spill. (Via YouTube / jrcfivideos)
Reports indicate fish were also found with gill lesions and liver and spleen damage—
all "consistent with exposure to acidic water and toxic concentrations of heavy metals."
Coauthor of the study Tony Velasco says... (Via U.S. Geological Survey)
"This is an example of how the smallest creatures can act as a canary in a coal mine. These
species use the same water as we do, so it is just as important to keep our waters clean
for people and for wildlife."
Nami Resources Company is charged with the 2007 spill. And according to The Huffington
Post, it's already fessed up to the incident -- kind of.
"Nami Resources pleaded guilty to charges that it violated the Clean Water and Endangered
Species Acts in the spill and paid a $50,000 fine in October 2009, but blamed the incident
on 'independent contractors' who were not under the company's direct supervision."
Hydraulic fracking is reportedly the most common method for collecting natural gas in
Kentucky.