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Groundwater Issues and Fracking

Groundwater Issues and Fracking. Presented By David R. Wunsch Association of American State Geologists Annual Meeting Austin, Texas. Letting the days go by…water flowing underground Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground…. Water dissolving and water removing…..

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Groundwater Issues and Fracking

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  1. Groundwater Issues and Fracking Presented By David R. Wunsch Association of American State Geologists Annual Meeting Austin, Texas

  2. Letting the days go by…water flowing underground Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground…. Water dissolving and water removing….. Through the rocks and stones…there is water underground….

  3. Because groundwater is hidden from view, as a resource it is often forgotten or misunderstood. • “Groundwater….istoo secret and occult to be adjudicated by law.” Frazier v. Brown 1861 Ohio Supreme Court. • Not overturned until 1984!

  4. NGWA recognized: • Fracking is a mature technology that can be done safely, while providing enhanced recovery of shale gas that contributes to the nation’s domestic energy production • No widespread contamination has been definitively documented • However, isolated cases of contamination from poor construction; or failure to use best management practices have occurred

  5. NGWA Concerns: • Fracking regulations may affect “fracking” of water wells for potable water supply

  6. How many wells get fracked for fresh water development? • Minnesota - 150 • Wisconsin - 300 • New Hampshire - 543 (about 11%) (2009 data)

  7. Would shale fracking regulations affect fracking of fresh ground water wells?

  8. NGWA Concerns: • Demand for fresh water in water constrained areas; water use

  9. (Source: GWPC, 2009)

  10. NGWA Concerns: • Abandoned wells, and legacy issues

  11. Much of the Appalachian Basin is a mature O&G region, so it will often be challenging to distinguish new impacts to groundwater from legacy impacts . (PaDEP website)

  12. (Williams, 2010)

  13. Other Concerns: • Improper waste management and disposal • Lack of water well construction regulations (e.g., PA) • Injection of flowback water and waste • Permitted surface-water discharges (i.e., increased chloride, GW/SW interaction)

  14. Waste water disposal issues How Might Fracking flowback water (worst case scenario) affect water quality in DE River? Cl value at Walton, NY = 13 mg/L Cl value at mouth of Wissahickon Creek and DE River (Philly) = 75 mg/L (USGS NAWQA data) “..background chloride levels in upland reaches generally less than 10 mg/L” (Cohen & McCarthy, 1963)

  15. Collecting meaningful GW samples • is challenging! • Water is an amazing substance • Water chemistry is very complicated! • Water samples can be affected by: • Holding time • Temperature changes • Loss of dissolved gases • Microbial action

  16. Need for Public Education Bromide (Br) Bromide is an ion common to brackish water and brines. A measure of the ratio of bromide to chloride has been used to “fingerprint” salt water—for example, to help distinguish whether salt contamination in a water well is from road salt or contamination from oil brines. (Kansas Geological Survey, 2007)

  17. Lack of “background” water chemistry information • Routine collection of basic water chemistry not performed • for many modern studies ($) • Instead we have emphasized more esoteric studies, • e.g., pharmaceuticals, endocrine disrupters, etc., at expense of basic data Examples of graphical Methods (i.e. Stiff Diagrams) to display major ions and water types (Busch, 2008)

  18. Costs for NGWA full recommended analyses: Lab 1 Lab 2 Lab 3 $936 $705 $766 But what is the true cost to a well owner?

  19. * Fracking controversy has probably done more to educate private well owners to sample their water well than any recent outreach effort or activity.

  20. Need for more integrated groundwater monitoring • Integrated national network (e.g. background conditions) • Local studies to monitor fracking and groundwater response, • If any, to answer some of the pressing questions Groundwater Data Portal

  21. Perceptions of the public and the press: • Jed Clampett Syndrome: • Disbelief that oil, natural gas • can be found on or near the land’s • surface under natural geologic • conditions

  22. Western PA and NY have a rich history of oil and gas production Drake oil well, the first commercial oil well drilled in 1859 near Titusville, PA

  23. (Source: PA Geological Survey)

  24. “Avitar floating fracking formation model” (Avitar slide )

  25. We understand the need to keep scientific info at a basic level for the public to digest, but it shouldn’t be misleading!

  26. AASG website? • FACTS • FrackingAnswers for Citizens, Technology, and Science • Build off of US GIN and AASG Geothermal infrastructure • Model from the “Best of” tools developed by state surveys

  27. The End

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