Gov't Accountability Office says EPA fails to protect drinking water

April 25th, 2016 by Dakota Software Staff Industry News

The Environmental Protection Agency recently came under fire for what is categorized as a failure to protect drinking water from the dangers of oilfield contamination. A report from the Government Accountability Office focused on EPA efforts in California and found the environmental regulator wasn't adequately protecting reserves of potable water held underground in areas near oilfields. According to the Associated Press, the major issues with EPA enforcement stem from the actions of some inspectors. Those EPA investigators failed to collect necessary documents related to enforcement and didn't make the inspections necessary to ensure an adequate level of compliance with federal regulations.

California as an example
While the GAO's report concluded issues in groundwater contamination from oilfields was an issue in areas across the country, it focused on California as an example. As the AP pointed out, California is the third-largest producer of oil and associated petroleum products in the U.S. Additionally, the state has documented issues with groundwater contamination dating back to 2014, with acknowledgment of violations of environmental compliance rules coming from both state and federal authorities. An analysis conducted by the AP found the state of California issued more than 2,000 permits to inject oil wastewater into protected underground water reserves.

The Desert Sun, a California-based newspaper, reported the lack of oversight into oil wastewater and the injection of that material into potable reserves means the EPA may lack the knowledge to effectively manage its safety programs related to water.

An issue across the country
While California has some of the most significant issues with groundwater contamination, it's not the only state facing such problems. USA Today conducted an investigation into water delivery systems in 2015 that found issues related to lead contamination occurred in all 50 states and in more than 2,000 individual water systems, The Desert Sun reported. While not caused by oilfield waste products, the result - issues with the safety of drinking water - is the same.

Reaction to the GAO's decision was split across what may be seen as the usual lines. Some environmental groups said the findings indicate a lack of high-level protection of drinking water. In regard to contamination associated with petroleum exploration and extraction, industry groups have acknowledged the issue but believe the current processes are sufficient to protect drinking water from contamination.