Aquifer Exemptions: Sacrificing Groundwater for Oil and Gas Production

The Aquifer Exemption program in the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) Underground Injection Control (UIC) program allows certain oil and gas and mining activity to occur in groundwater that would otherwise be protected as a drinking water source. 

Additional Materials

Aquifer Exemptions: The Report
Aquifer Exemptions (1023.14 KB)
Fact sheet (1.84 MB)
January 6, 2015 | By John Noël, Clean Water Action, and Clean Water Fund
States/Regions
Related Priorities
Related Campaigns
Exposing Aquifer Exemptions
Protect Water and Communities from Oil and Gas

Related Publications

Letter to EPA: Refrain from Further Narrowing the Definition of the “Waters of the United States”

Clean Water Action / Clean Water Fund submitted the following comment letter as part of the April 2025 public comment period for EPA's Request for Recommendations on the definition of the "Waters of the United States"

Data Centers - A Threat To Minnesota's Water

Data centers are popping up across the country as the dependency on cloud computing and Artificial Intelligence increases. These centers require millions of gallons of water and huge amounts of electricity each year to cool the facility and run efficiently. Minnesotans shouldn’t be left on the hook for multi-billion-dollar companies seeking tax breaks to run facilities that not only monopolize but also poison our water.

Annual Report

2023 was marked by relentless challenges to our environment, but we also celebrated remarkable victories in our campaigns to protect clean water, reduce toxic exposures, and promote efforts to tackle the climate crisis.
Search Clean Water