Database charts oil and gas regulations that cover water quality

The University of Colorado Boulder’s Intermountain Oil and Gas Best Management Practices Project has launched a searchable database outlining water quality regulations for Colorado and other states, according to a release. The database was developed in partnership with Temple University.

Visitors to the database can search by water quality statute or by state. There are sections covering questions related to oil and gas development, public disclosure of hydraulic fracturing chemicals and spill reporting, among others.

Creators of the database say that increased oil and gas development across the nation has made examining regulations valuable. By looking at existing regulations, they say, those enacted in the future can be made better.

Image: Gas drilling rig in the Marcellus Shale Formation in Pennsylvania (Credit: Ruhrfisch, Wikimedia Commons)