Drought-plagued Nevada county fearful that fracking will deplete agricultural water supplies

Fearing that hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas could leave less water for ranchers and farmers in drought-plagued central Nevada, Lander County (Wikipedia map) has joined forces with the Center for Biological Diversity to protest the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s sale of leases in 102 parcels that could lead to 270 square miles of public lands being used for fracking, Martin Griffin reports for The Associated Press. Fracking is new to Nevada, having started only in March.

Rob Mrowka, a senior scientist with the center, told Griffin, "Fracking typically requires from 2 million to 5.6 million gallons of water for each well and can lower water tables, reducing water available to communities and wildlife." (Read more)