Advertisement State agency blocks Texas oil company from withdrawing water from Amite River Sierra Club, organizations had been holding meetings Share Shares Copy Link Copy

An estimated 12.6 million gallons of water intended for use in fracking will no longer be withdrawn from the Amite River in East Feliciana Parish.Representatives with the Sierra Club were notified this week that the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries had denied the request from Comstock Resources, which is an oil company based out of Texas.The organization said before the decision this week, the water would have been removed from the Amite River and used for fracking oil and gas and then disposed as hazardous waste. The river runs along the eastern portion of East Feliciana Parish.According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the process of hydraulic fracturing (also known as fracking) begins with mixing large amounts of water with chemical additives. The mixture is injected into a well to create cracks in the ground that allow oil or gas to escape through the well to be collected at the surface.Water for use in fracking can be take from underground aquifers or lakes, ponds and streams. After the process, it is often disposed underground, treated and returned to "surface water bodies" or recycled for use in future fracking operations.The Sierra Club was joined in its efforts by the Gulf Restoration Network, the Louisiana Environmental Action Network and the Louisiana Audubon Council, among others. The organizations and private citizens testified at public hearings.The LDWF had been hearing those comments since earlier this summer. Fracking requests had been made in other areas of the Florida Parishes, four of which were withdrawn and the last one being the one that was denied in East Feliciana Parish."Information that came out in comments and in the public hearing was key to denial of the request for a permit to withdraw water," the Sierra Club said.Additional information on the Sierra Club and its efforts can be found on their website.