The number of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) shale oil and gas wells in the United States and worldwide continues to increase. Within die Bakken Shale formation alone, in North Dakota and Montana, upwards of 15,000 wellheads are in operation, widi another 20,000 wells planned. The U.S. has vast reserves of oil and natural gas that are commercially reachable as a result of advances in horizontal drilling and fracking technologies, which have enabled improved access to oil and gas in shale formations, such as die Bakken. But as more of these wells come into operation, so does stress on surface water and ground water supplies from the wididrawal of large volumes of H_2O used in die process - needing up to one million gallons (almost 24,000 barrels) of fresh water per wellhead to complete die fracking process.
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