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Fracking Boom Straining Some of Driest Areas in U.S.

The proliferation of fracking is driving up water prices and depleting aquifers in parts of the country that are still reeling from severe drought.

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Credit: David R. Tribble / Zsuzsanna Kilian

Garance Burke of The Associated Press reports that the proliferation of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is putting stress on some of the country's driest regions. The water-intensive practice — which is growing in drought-stricken states like Arkansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Utah and Wyoming — is driving up water prices and putting pressure on aquifers.

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