Spilled fracking fluid likely killed Kentucky fish-USGS

August 29, 2013

Hydraulic fracturing fluids that spilled into a Kentucky creek in 2007 likely caused "widespread death or distress" to fish, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

Hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," has revitalized U.S. oil and gas production in recent years but also prompted charges that it damages the environment, causes minor earthquakes and contaminates drinking water.

The USGS and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service initiated a study of Acorn Fork, a small Appalachian creek in southeastern Kentucky, following a release of fracking fluids from nearby natural gas wells in 2007 and after a local resident complained that fish had been dying.

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