This article was originally published on Dialogue Earth under the Creative Commons BY NC ND licence. Cover image: Mountains of waste from fracking seen near Vaca Muerta, a major shale oil and gas formation in Neuquén province, central-western Argentina. Experts say such waste is not being properly treated in the country, leading to environmental contamination and potential health risks (Image: Matías Avramow / Dialogue Earth)

The large ravine running through the city of Neuquén, in north-western Patagonia, separates its two realities. The neat, suburban streets in the valley below are much like any other Argentine city. But up in the plateau, there is immediate evidence of the country’s industrialization. Power lines criss-cross a sea of empty housing plots awaiting new residents in one of the fastest-growing regions in the country.

Driving these changes is Vaca Muerta, one of the world’s largest shale oil and gas deposits and a formation hailed across Argentina’s political spectrum as the country’s economic salvation.

According to data from the Neuquén Ministry of Energy, more than 97% of the province’s oil and over 90% of its gas are extracted through fracking – a technique that involves injecting water, sand and chemicals at high pressure to fracture the rock and release hydrocarbons.

Boosted by production increases in Vaca Muerta, Argentina has broken its all-time daily oil production record.

Fracking is a controversial technique that has been linked to increased earthquakes. But residents point to another hidden side of the boom: waste. Experts argue that waste from fracking is not being properly treated in Argentina, leading to environmental contamination and potential risks to public health.

Local rules require it to be properly processed. But mountains of waste serve as evidence to the contrary.

Life under the waste mountains

Quality of life in Neuquén depends on the direction of the wind.

“When it blows this way, the smell gets really strong. It stings your eyes and makes you sneeze constantly,” says Julio Polo. He is a security guard at an urban development surrounding the Neuquén West Industrial Park (PINO, in Spanish), where some companies have treated and stored fracking waste.

The smell is like sulfur, although there are many more chemicals in the air and soil.Fracking generates two types of waste. Contaminated water returns to the surface after fracturing, along with naturally occurring brine, and is injected into underground disposal wells. This practice has been linked to induced seismicity as the pressure can reactivate dormant faults.

In some North American countries, up to 70% of this wastewater is reused for fracking and other industrial purposes, but in Argentina, over 95% is disposed of underground, Pedro Brisio, a member of the board of directors of the Neuquén Association of Environmental Professionals,........

© Buenos Aires Herald