Wednesday, May 29 2013 3:07PM

Mora County passed the first ordinance in the nation to ban fracking.

Mora County, New Mexico, recently became the first county in the country to pass an ordinance that bans hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," in an effort to protect their access to water system services, according to the Los Angeles Times. 

The small county relies mostly on ranching and farming to stay afloat, and nearly all residents of the community rely on wells as their single source of water. The process of fracking can lead to a decline in water quality, and residents banned together in refusing to take royalties associated with allowing corporations to frack on their lands, the newspaper reports.

The danger surrounding fracking largely lies in the fact that no federal legislation exists that requires companies to disclose which types of chemicals they are using during the process which may seep into the water supply.

"I don't want to destroy our water," resident Roger Alcon told the Times. "You can't drink oil."

While the rural county is the first to ever ban fracking, there are several other states, cities and counties that have legislation in the works to end or restrict the practice. The city council in Loveland, Colorado, for instance, is currently exploring an initiative to ban fracking, and similar ordinances are being discussed in parts of California. 

For more information, check out this resource: The Los Angeles Times