Mahoning County District Board of Health

1. Laboratory Services Mahoning County District Board of Health Mary Helen Smith Scott Bolam 3/29/12

2. Laboratory Services - Overview • Established in 1993 to provide laboratory services to the local community and in support of Health Department projects • Certified for key parameters for public drinking water testing • Coliform bacteria testing for public and private water wells • Groundwater Monitoring of local landfills • Marcellus/Utica Shale Testing

3. Marcellus/Utica Shale Testing • Parameters for testing have been established by Ohio EPA, Ohio Department of Health, and ODNR. • Testing is used to establish a baseline of water quality prior to drilling activity taking place. • Due to the variability of water quality over time Ohio EPA recommends testing at least three times to establish a good baseline of water quality.

4. Marcellus/Utica Shale Testing (cont.) • Testing multiple times may not be feasible/cost-effective for the homeowner, but a single sampling event will at least establish some baseline level of water quality. • OEPA, ODH, and ODNR have broken down testing into three tiers.

5. Tier 1 Testing Parameters • The least expensive option to establish some baseline of water quality. • Barium, Chloride, Conductivity, Magnesium, Potassium, Sodium, Strontium, Sulfate, Total Dissolved Solids • Basic water quality parameters that can indicate changes in water quality due to drilling. • Mine water contamination may show high salts and sulfates. • Total Dissolved Solids in contaminated water could see levels >100,000 mg/L. 500 mg/L is the limit established by US EPA for drinking water.

6. Tier 2 Testing Parameters • Adds additional salts, solids, and metals testing to the Tier 1 parameters. • Alkalinity, Bromide, Calcium, Hardness, Iron, Manganese, pH, Total Suspended Solids, in addition to the Tier 1 parameters. • Tier 2 parameters are especially recommended if chloride levels are >250 mg/L. • The ratio of bromide and chloride in a sample can provide insight into potential sources of contamination (ex. road salt vs. mining).

7. Tier 3 Testing Parameters • Methane, BTEX (benzene, toluene, xylenes, ethylbenzene) in addition to Tier 1 and Tier 2 parameters. • BTEX – not normally found in groundwater, could be a by-product of drilling operations. • Methane is tested to determine if there is migration of natural gas into nearby water wells. • Due to the history of previous oil and gas exploration, and the richness of the area in potential natural gas, it is not uncommon for methane to already be present prior to drilling.

8. Methane • Methane is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, flammable gas that can cause oxygen deficient air-spaces, fire hazards, or explosions. • Methane in ground water is not explosive. However, when in contact with air, it can quickly escape into the air. If this happens in a confined space, an dangerous level of methane could build up, resulting in a fire or explosion hazard. • Methane dissolved in water >28 mg/L can release potentially flammable or explosive quantities of gas.

9. Methane (cont.) • Ohio Department of Health requires wells that produce >10 mg/L of dissolved methane to be vented to the atmosphere to prevent explosive conditions. • Methane monitors are available from local industrial/home repair stores or online. • The cost of a monitor ranges from $35-$70. A combined methane-carbon monoxide monitor costs approximately $85.

10. Marcellus/Utica Shale Overview • EPA has established primary and secondary maximum contaminant levels for drinking water. • Several items in the Shale Testing tiers are not drinking water parameters, and do not have established contaminant levels. • The Shale Testing tiers are to establish a baseline of water quality for parameters that might be most affected by gas well drilling. • Regulatory Authority for Oil/Gas Activities is split between ODNR and Ohio EPA.