Storing water in closed tanks provi

Storing water in closed tanks provides a number of environmental benefits over open pits. First,
leaks can be more easily detected and fixed in above-ground tanks than they could be in a large open
pit. Second, it prevents the loss of water by evaporation. Drillers are moving toward recycling more of
their wastewater for use in other wells, and less wastewater evaporation means more water preserved
for the next well, and ultimately less taken from surface and groundwater sources. Third, storage in tanks
poses less of a threat to local wildlife and livestock. The USDA has quarantined cows in Pennsylvania,
for example, after they may have ingested hay from damp ground contaminated by a leak in a nearby
wastewater pit.22 There have been additional reports of cattle dying in Louisiana and Pennsylvania after ingesting substances near drilling rigs. While tanks do not eliminate the potential for such contamination at drill sites, they do significantly reduce these risks