Excerpt: "Recently revealed documents show that California regulators allowed oil companies to drill more than 2,400 illegal injection wells for waste disposal or oil production into protected aquifers, including many with water clean enough to drink."
Protestors stage a demonstration against fracking in San Francisco, California. (photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
04 May 15
he oil industry is dumping billions of gallons of toxic waste into California’s clean-water aquifers.
Recently revealed documents show that California regulators allowed oil companies to drill more than 2,400 illegal injection wells for waste disposal or oil production into protected aquifers, including many with water clean enough to drink.
This illegal dumping contaminates water because fracking flowback and other oil waste contains cancer-causing chemicals like benzene. As fracking expands, so does the toxic threat to our water and health.
During the current devastating drought in California, Gov. Jerry Brown should take emergency action to halt illegal injections and dangerous fracking.
The interactive map below shows the illegal oil industry injection wells contaminating underground water across the state, from Monterey down to Kern and Los Angeles counties.