Most of the wells (95% and probably more) in the US require fracture stimulation. Sand and water make up 99% of the solution injected. The oil/gas reservoirs are much deeper than the ground water. Plus, ground water is protected with a string of surface casing and formation fluids are produced up a different string of casing.
Fracing will not affect your well water. Current well construction requirements consist of installing multiple layers of protective steel casing surrounded by cement that are specifically designed and installed to protect freshwater aquifers.
There has never been a documented case of drinking water contamination related to hydraulic fracturing of a deep shale natural gas well in Oklahoma.
Yep we have a moratorium on deep offshore drilling converted to an environmental impact study on every well drilled. Now we are going to end up having the same thing for onshore drilling before all is said and done. The .gov has declared war on the energy industry.
Frac'ing has been done for years. But it got really popular down in the Barnett Shale in Texas when coupled with horizontal drilling. The Barnett shale got going about 10 years ago. It's taken off like a rocket all over the country with literally multiple thousands of wells using this method of completion since. Now all of the sudden we have to investigate it? Pretty much tells me what I need to know right there.
I know my brother runs the fracturing for some company... used to be with Halliburton, I think, but no idea whom now. I haven't talked to him in like 10 years, so it's kinda hard to say.