AP Photos: A close-up look at fracking
1/14In this March 25, 2014 photo, a worker watches over a hydraulic fracturing operation at an Encana Corp. gas well, near Mead, Colo. In the background is a tall canvas wall around the perimeter of the extraction site, which mitigates noise, light and dust coming from the operation during the drilling and completion phase, which generally takes a few weeks. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)![In this March 25, 2014 photo, Mike Hamilton, ground and crew supervisor for Bayou Well Services, walks past the well heads during a hydraulic fracturing operation at an Encana Corp. well pad near Mead, Colo. It takes a few weeks for the half dozen wells on a typical pad to be fracked, after which the petroleum products are extracted for years by operators like Encana. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)]()
2/14In this March 25, 2014 photo, Mike Hamilton, ground and crew supervisor for Bayou Well Services, walks past the well heads during a hydraulic fracturing operation at an Encana Corp. well pad near Mead, Colo. It takes a few weeks for the half dozen wells on a typical pad to be fracked, after which the petroleum products are extracted for years by operators like Encana. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)![In this March 25, 2014 photo, a worker adjusts hoses during a hydraulic fracturing operation at an Encana Corp. gas well, near Mead, Colo. The first experimental use of hydraulic fracturing was in 1947, and more than 1 million U.S. oil and gas wells have been fracked since, according to the American Petroleum Institute. The National Petroleum Council estimates that up to 80 percent of natural gas wells drilled in the next decade will require hydraulic fracturing. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)]()
3/14In this March 25, 2014 photo, a worker adjusts hoses during a hydraulic fracturing operation at an Encana Corp. gas well, near Mead, Colo. The first experimental use of hydraulic fracturing was in 1947, and more than 1 million U.S. oil and gas wells have been fracked since, according to the American Petroleum Institute. The National Petroleum Council estimates that up to 80 percent of natural gas wells drilled in the next decade will require hydraulic fracturing. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
Yahoo News is better in the app
Keep up to speed at a glance with the Top 10 daily stories
![In this March 25, 2014 photo, perforating tools, used to create fractures in the rock, are lowered into one of six wells during a roughly two-week hydraulic fracturing operation at an Encana Corp. well pad near Mead, Colo. Proponents of hydraulic fracturing point to the economic benefits from vast amounts of formerly inaccessible hydrocarbons that now can be extracted with hydraulic fracturing. Opponents point to potential environmental impacts, with some critics acknowledging that some fracking operations are far cleaner than others. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)]()
4/14In this March 25, 2014 photo, perforating tools, used to create fractures in the rock, are lowered into one of six wells during a roughly two-week hydraulic fracturing operation at an Encana Corp. well pad near Mead, Colo. Proponents of hydraulic fracturing point to the economic benefits from vast amounts of formerly inaccessible hydrocarbons that now can be extracted with hydraulic fracturing. Opponents point to potential environmental impacts, with some critics acknowledging that some fracking operations are far cleaner than others. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)![In this March 25, 2014 photo, workers talk during a hydraulic fracturing operation at an Encana Corp. well pad near Mead, Colo. Hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” can greatly increase the productivity of an oil or gas well by splitting open rock with water and/or sand pumped underground at high pressure. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley) (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)]()
5/14In this March 25, 2014 photo, workers talk during a hydraulic fracturing operation at an Encana Corp. well pad near Mead, Colo. Hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” can greatly increase the productivity of an oil or gas well by splitting open rock with water and/or sand pumped underground at high pressure. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley) (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)![In this March 25, 2014 photo, Mike Hamilton, ground and crew supervisor for Bayou Well Services, keeps watch over a hydraulic fracturing operation at an Encana Corp. well pad near Mead, Colo. It takes a few weeks for the half dozen wells on a typical pad to be fracked, after which the petroleum products are extracted for years by operators like Encana. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)]()
6/14In this March 25, 2014 photo, Mike Hamilton, ground and crew supervisor for Bayou Well Services, keeps watch over a hydraulic fracturing operation at an Encana Corp. well pad near Mead, Colo. It takes a few weeks for the half dozen wells on a typical pad to be fracked, after which the petroleum products are extracted for years by operators like Encana. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)Yahoo News is better in the app
Keep up to speed at a glance with the Top 10 daily stories
![In this March 25, 2014 photo, a worker climbs down a from a machine that mixes sand and water, left, before it is pumped underground during a hydraulic fracturing operation at an Encana Corp. well pad near Mead, Colo. Hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking,"is the practice of injecting water, sand and chemicals into source rock to crack it and create escape routes for oil and gas. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)]()
7/14In this March 25, 2014 photo, a worker climbs down a from a machine that mixes sand and water, left, before it is pumped underground during a hydraulic fracturing operation at an Encana Corp. well pad near Mead, Colo. Hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking,"is the practice of injecting water, sand and chemicals into source rock to crack it and create escape routes for oil and gas. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)![In this March 25, 2014 photo, a worker watches over a hydraulic fracturing operation at an Encana Corp. gas well near Mead, Colo. In the background is a tall canvas wall around the perimeter of the extraction site, which mitigates noise, light and dust coming from the operation during the drilling and completion phase, which generally takes a few weeks. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)]()
8/14In this March 25, 2014 photo, a worker watches over a hydraulic fracturing operation at an Encana Corp. gas well near Mead, Colo. In the background is a tall canvas wall around the perimeter of the extraction site, which mitigates noise, light and dust coming from the operation during the drilling and completion phase, which generally takes a few weeks. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)![In this March 25, 2014 photo, a worker wears a protective helmet decorated with stickers during a hydraulic fracturing operation at a gas well, near Mead, Colo. The first experimental use of hydraulic fracturing was in 1947, and more than 1 million U.S. oil and gas wells have been fracked since, according to the American Petroleum Institute. The National Petroleum Council estimates that up to 80 percent of natural gas wells drilled in the next decade will require hydraulic fracturing. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)]()
9/14In this March 25, 2014 photo, a worker wears a protective helmet decorated with stickers during a hydraulic fracturing operation at a gas well, near Mead, Colo. The first experimental use of hydraulic fracturing was in 1947, and more than 1 million U.S. oil and gas wells have been fracked since, according to the American Petroleum Institute. The National Petroleum Council estimates that up to 80 percent of natural gas wells drilled in the next decade will require hydraulic fracturing. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)Yahoo News is better in the app
Keep up to speed at a glance with the Top 10 daily stories
![In this March 25, 2014 photo, a worker walks among huge pumps and other equipment at the site of a hydraulic fracturing operation at an Encana Corp. well pad near Mead, Colo. The first experimental use of hydraulic fracturing was in 1947, and more than 1 million U.S. oil and gas wells have been fracked since, according to the American Petroleum Institute. The National Petroleum Council estimates that up to 80 percent of natural gas wells drilled in the next decade will require hydraulic fracturing. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)]()
10/14In this March 25, 2014 photo, a worker walks among huge pumps and other equipment at the site of a hydraulic fracturing operation at an Encana Corp. well pad near Mead, Colo. The first experimental use of hydraulic fracturing was in 1947, and more than 1 million U.S. oil and gas wells have been fracked since, according to the American Petroleum Institute. The National Petroleum Council estimates that up to 80 percent of natural gas wells drilled in the next decade will require hydraulic fracturing. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)![In this March 25, 2014 photo, a worker oils a pump during a hydraulic fracturing operation at an Encana Corp. well pad near Mead, Colo. The first experimental use of hydraulic fracturing was in 1947, and more than 1 million U.S. oil and gas wells have been fracked since, according to the American Petroleum Institute. The National Petroleum Council estimates that up to 80 percent of natural gas wells drilled in the next decade will require hydraulic fracturing. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)]()
11/14In this March 25, 2014 photo, a worker oils a pump during a hydraulic fracturing operation at an Encana Corp. well pad near Mead, Colo. The first experimental use of hydraulic fracturing was in 1947, and more than 1 million U.S. oil and gas wells have been fracked since, according to the American Petroleum Institute. The National Petroleum Council estimates that up to 80 percent of natural gas wells drilled in the next decade will require hydraulic fracturing. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)![In this March 25, 2014 photo, a worker adjusts pipes during a hydraulic fracturing operation at an Encana Corp. well pad near Mead, Colo. The first experimental use of hydraulic fracturing was in 1947, and more than 1 million U.S. oil and gas wells have been fracked since, according to the American Petroleum Institute. The National Petroleum Council estimates that up to 80 percent of natural gas wells drilled in the next decade will require hydraulic fracturing. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)]()
12/14In this March 25, 2014 photo, a worker adjusts pipes during a hydraulic fracturing operation at an Encana Corp. well pad near Mead, Colo. The first experimental use of hydraulic fracturing was in 1947, and more than 1 million U.S. oil and gas wells have been fracked since, according to the American Petroleum Institute. The National Petroleum Council estimates that up to 80 percent of natural gas wells drilled in the next decade will require hydraulic fracturing. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)Yahoo News is better in the app
Keep up to speed at a glance with the Top 10 daily stories
![In this March 25, 2014 photo, a machine mixes sand and water, left, before it is pumped underground during a hydraulic fracturing operation at an Encana Corp. well pad near Mead, Colo. Hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking,"is the practice of injecting water, sand and chemicals into source rock to crack it and create escape routes for oil and gas. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)]()
13/14In this March 25, 2014 photo, a machine mixes sand and water, left, before it is pumped underground during a hydraulic fracturing operation at an Encana Corp. well pad near Mead, Colo. Hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking,"is the practice of injecting water, sand and chemicals into source rock to crack it and create escape routes for oil and gas. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)![In this March 25, 2014 photo, a technician inside a trailer monitors and directs the pressure and mix of water, sand and chemicals pumped during a hydraulic fracturing operation at an Encana Corp. well pad near Mead, Colo. It takes a few weeks for the half dozen wells on a typical pad to be fracked, after which the petroleum products are extracted for years by operators like Encana. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)]()
14/14In this March 25, 2014 photo, a technician inside a trailer monitors and directs the pressure and mix of water, sand and chemicals pumped during a hydraulic fracturing operation at an Encana Corp. well pad near Mead, Colo. It takes a few weeks for the half dozen wells on a typical pad to be fracked, after which the petroleum products are extracted for years by operators like Encana. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
BRENNAN LINSLEY
MEAD, Colo. (AP) — Workers bustle at an oil and gas drilling site near Mead, Colo., a town of about 3,800 people north of Denver.
The hydraulic fracturing operation, also known as "fracking," and others like it pump hundreds of thousands of gallons of water, mixed with fine sand and chemicals, deep underground to split the rock, and make the oil — and dollars — flow.
But the drilling has come much too fast — and too close — for several communities, where fracking bans have been enacted out of concern about its possible impact on groundwater. The state government and the energy industry are challenging those prohibitions.
In this photo essay, AP Photographer Brennan Linsley looks inside a walled-off fracking facility, one of many sites reversing decades of declining oil production in the state.
