Officials in Wyoming were caught flat-footed when residents outside the town of Pavillion began asking tough questions about hydraulic fracturing and a sudden change in the quality of their drinking water, leading to nasty fights between residents, oil and gas operators, the state and federal agencies.
A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency investigation into the matter failed to resolve the situation, and may have even fanned the flames of disagreement. The question about whether hydraulic fracturing — or fracking — is to blame for degraded water quality in Pavillion may never be answered, for one key reason: lack of baseline water quality testing and ongoing water quality monitoring.