Sources of water for fracking troubles some in community

Sources of water for fracking troubles some in community by Derek Clouthier, August 8, 2012, Cochrane Eagle
The reason behind McBride’s trepidation is because Cochrane’s present policy states that water is a precious resource, one that is supposed to be treated in a responsible and sustainable manner, and that the town is obligated to act as good stewards of the watershed. McBride, however, now feels that the sale of Cochrane’s potable, bulk water supply does not adhere to this pledge of sustainability. “Arguably, we should be expecting those we sell our treated municipal water to be meeting or exceeding the policy objectives that council and the region have laid out for us,” said McBride, adding that there is a regional policy in place recognizing water as a scarcity in the Cochrane area, which compels the town to utilize the resource principally for urban and municipal purposes. “There should not be a double standard in place with our residents being told to preserve,” the mayor contended, “but then turning around and selling unrecoverable water to certain industries in bulk form.” Present policy states that water is to be reused whenever possible. Water for the purposes of ‘frack’ fluid, however, is not reused due to the various chemicals that are added to the fluid.