While the word fracking may sound pleasant to some, and unpleasant to others, what is fracking really?

And will it benefit or hurt our natural resources in the Mid-Ohio Valley?

We have the explanation straight from an expert.

Dr. Bob Chase from Marietta College explains that fracking is pumping a mixture of chemicals into a gas well that enters the earth creating a crack or fracture to release the gas.

Dr. Chase says that we have actually been hydraulic fracturing wells since 1949 in Ohio and West Virginia and he believes there is no reason to be concerned about this controversial issue.

"The wells that we're drilling today, we have at least two strings of pipe or casing and both string are cemented through the freshwater aquifer. So in other words its gives you 4 barriers of protection, 4 layers of protection against any contamination."

Dr. Chase also says Marietta College is in the process of planning seminars to inform people about fracking.

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