To ask Her Majesty's Government what baseline tests are carried out at fracking sites and test sites for radiation in air and water.
Answered on
22 October 2018
The environmental permits issued by the Environment Agency (EA) set out the pre-operational and operational monitoring requirements according to environmental risk. The type and period of monitoring may vary between sites, according to the sensitivity of the environment and the type and scale of activities.
The permits for both the Cuadrilla and Third Energy sites required baseline monitoring of groundwater, surface water and air quality. The EA has also used its own mobile monitoring units to record ambient air quality.
Since 2017 Public Health England has been undertaking background radon monitoring in air as part of a project coordinated by the British Geological Survey and funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.