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If the fluids do rise, more research will be needed, he said. If they don't reach the 4,000-foot level, there will be no need to test drinking water aquifers, which are closer to the surface. Other researchers have asked the same question, but have done so using computer simulations or testing not involving commercial wells. Both methods mean there's considerable uncertainty about the accuracy of the projections. For example, a study released by other Duke researchers this week suggested that deep, salty brine fluids could migrate upwards through natural pathways, but made no estimate of whether that might take years, decades or centuries. Hammack said the new project took off after he told someone in the industry about research DOE hoped to conduct. "They said, 'We have that exact situation,'" Hammock said of the response from the firm, which he didn't identify. Hammack said the monitoring will go on for at least a year, but that the department will release information earlier if there's proof the fluids migrate to the upper testing level. Some background data from the research is also expected to be available later this year. Patrick Creighton, a spokesman for the industry's Marcellus Shale Coalition, said in a statement that the industry supports partnering with universities, government agencies and others to protect the environment.
[Associated
Press;
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