Also maybe read the entire article on using fracking wastewater on crops:
Until now, government authorities have only required limited testing of recycled irrigation water, checking for naturally occurring toxins such as salts and arsenic, using decades-old monitoring standards. They haven’t screened for the range of chemicals used in modern oil production.
No one knows whether nuts, citrus or other crops grown with the recycled oil field water have been contaminated. Farmers may test crops for pests or disease, but they don’t check for water-borne chemicals. Instead, they rely on oversight by state and local water authorities. But experts say that testing of both the water and the produce should be expanded.
This is surprising to me because in North Dakota there have been plenty of brine spills (from storage tanks) and it seems to destroy the farmland. It's nearly impossible to clean up and it always makes its way into major waterways.
I can't believe a farmer would intentionally use this to water their crops, it wouldn't make any business sense.
I don't know anything about this, but contamination seems plausible, as you say, and it would probably make sense for California to update its regulations to make sure the crops grown with this water are safe for consumption.
I think this is a pretty unusual situation. As far as I know, most spent frack fluid is reused in oilfield operations or disposed of in deep disposal wells.
Until now, government authorities have only required limited testing of recycled irrigation water, checking for naturally occurring toxins such as salts and arsenic, using decades-old monitoring standards. They haven’t screened for the range of chemicals used in modern oil production.
No one knows whether nuts, citrus or other crops grown with the recycled oil field water have been contaminated. Farmers may test crops for pests or disease, but they don’t check for water-borne chemicals. Instead, they rely on oversight by state and local water authorities. But experts say that testing of both the water and the produce should be expanded.