“From what we’ve seen so far, many of the problems appear to be related to other aspects of drilling operations, such as poor casing or cement jobs, rather than to hydraulic fracturing, per se,” said Chip Groat, a geology professor and associate director at the University of Texas at Austin’s Energy Institute, which funded the study.

Groat presented preliminary findings from the study on Wednesday in Fort Worth.

“Our goal is to inject science into what has become an emotional debate and provide policymakers a foundation to develop sound rules and regulations,” Groat said in a statement.

“What we’re trying to do is separate fact from fiction.”

While the study found that fracking itself does not appear to be the cause of most reports of water contamination in areas like the Barnett shale in Texas, the Haynesville in Louisiana and Texas and the Marcellus in Pennsylvania and New York, the investigation does not entirely exonerate the controversial extraction method.

Spills caused by blowouts or mishandled wastewater from fracking operations can still lead to contamination and environmental incidents, the study says.

The preliminary results reinforce what prior studies from the National Academy of Sciences and Massachusetts Institute of Technology have also concluded.

The findings are unlikely to quell a raging debate in the US and elsewhere over fracking. Opponents point to links between the practice and earthquakes as well as methane gas found in water wells.

The early UT findings did not include a planned evaluation of allegations of “fugitive” air emissions attributed to equipment leaks, evaporative losses from surface impoundments and spills.

Those issues will be addressed in the full report, expected early next year, Wednesday’s release said.

Groat said the final report will also identify how well equipped states are to enforce existing regulations related to shale gas development and will provide an analysis of public perceptions of fracking.

The findings revealed on Wednesday also say that a lack of baseline studies in areas of shale development makes it hard to evaluate the long-term effects and risks associated with fracking.

The study also found that media coverage of fracking is “decidedly negative”.

Published: 10 November 2011 00:24 GMT | Last updated: 10 November 2011