Horizontal directional drilling and the high volume hydraulic fracturing
Until in the 1990s, two technologies were refined and adapted to be used in the extraction of shale gas, and these included the horizontal directional drilling and the high volume hydraulic fracturing. In the prior method, the wells are drilled to target the shale layer in a vertical manner where directional drilling of up to a mile or more helps to guide the drilling towards the shale layer. In the former method, the fracturing of the shale is made possible through high pressure from a mixture of water that contains sand and proppants and other chemical additives like corrosion inhibitors, biocides, and friction reducers.
The communities had a mixed reaction to the arrival of the fracking industry. In a higher drilling intensity, the responded perceived that the development will significantly create local jobs and wealth and projected economic growth. Over 80% agreed that the industry would have a significant effect on the workforce needs and local economy. Others, however, believed that the economic impact of the industry would be short term hence affecting people that have invested in the development like the water trucks, which are majorly loans. Other consequences would include road congestion, increased prices of rental houses, housing shortages, water, and environmental quality problems, and displacement of residents.
Transportation is profoundly affected by shale development. At high-intensity drilling, traffic congestion is a significant problem in areas that barely had congestion. Roads are deteriorated by the heavy trucks used in the process of drilling. Congestion and traffic are thus attributed to the bad roads and the process involved in rebuilding the roads to withstand the heavy equipment vehicles. The impact on the housing infrastructure included shortages of houses, hiked rental cost, and displacement of low and fixed-income residents.