The Western Australian: Fracking water supply warning

WA's Department of Health has outlined its concerns about the emerging unconventional gas industry, saying it could be a risk to water supplies and the atmosphere if handled poorly.

Giving evidence to a Parliamentary inquiry today, two of the department's senior officials said hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking", potentially posed several dangers to public health.

However, the agency said it was "happy" with how the Department of Mines and Petroleum was managing the development of new regulations that would govern fracking in WA.

Fracking, which has been linked to groundwater contamination overseas, involves water, chemicals and sand being pumped underground at high pressure to release so-called onshore gas resources.  MORE