"When Jessica Ernst's well water turned into a flammable broth that even her dogs refused to drink, the biologist and long-time oil patch consultant discovered that energy giant Encana had secretly fracked hundreds of gas wells around her home, piercing her community's drinking water aquifer. Since then, her ongoing lawsuit against Encana, Alberta Environment, and the Energy Resources Conservation Board has made her a folk hero in many places worldwide where fracking is underway. In this powerful work of investigative journalism, Andrew Nikiforuk interweaves Ernst's story with the science of fracking and stories of human and environmental repercussions left in its wake."--Front flap.

Canadian biologist Jessica Ernst's ongoing lawsuit against Encana, Alberta Environment, and the Energy Resources Conservation Board has made her a folk hero in many places worldwide where fracking is underway. In this work of investigative journalism, Andrew Nikiforuk interweaves Ernst's story with the history and science of fracking and the technology's growing impact on people, land, and water. Slick Water raises dramatic questions about the role of Big Oil in government, society's obsession with mining low-grade oil and gas formations, and the future of democracy.