12/19/13 - Green Oak Township officials want to bring issues of water quality preservation to the attention of state officials before a fracking operation comes to the municipality. Conway Township saw the first fracking operation in Livingston County begin operations this fall. Fracking, short for hydraulic fracturing, involves drilling deep underground to rocks containing oil and natural gas, then pumping in water, sand, and chemicals at high pressures to break the rocks and free up the resources. The process is controversial due to the many unknown chemicals it leaves in the earth, which some say can pollute groundwater. While no fracking operation has been given permission to begin work in Green Oak Township, Supervisor Mark St. Charles tells WHMI someone has purchased the mineral rights beneath the Island Lake Recreation Area. The state-owned land is very near several important sources of water for local residents, including the Huron River, the Fonda Island Briggs protection land, and the Livingston Community Water Authority. The FIB Joint Water Authority Board suggested to the township board last night that they place a moratorium on new fracking operations until changes could be made to the master plan and township ordinances protecting the water sources. The township board did not follow that recommendation, but St. Charles tells WHMI that research on the issue is being done. He says the board had consensus on the need to create a resolution outlining the dangers posed by a theoretical fracking operation at Island Lake. That resolution will raise the issue of local water quality with the Department of Environmental Quality, the state legislature, and other pertinent organizations. (TD)
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