Farmers Race Frackers for Water

Farmers are racing against oil and gas companies in America’s western states as the energy producers sop up precious water resources for use in fracking—a drilling procedure that shoots pressurized water and chemicals deep into wells to unlock fossil fuels. Fracking at a single well site could use as much as five million gallons of water, a resource that is also in demand among farmers in the region who don’t have the power of a massive company behind them. Oil and gas industry officials say claims of shortage made by farmers are exaggerated.