WVU researchers unveil ways to reduce environmental, health risks associated with shale gas extraction, June 26, 2014

From the 2014 Press Release, Water Research Institute, West Virginia University, June 26, 2014

A ‘new’ study by researchers at West Virginia University offers 10 recommendations for reducing the environmental and human health effects associated with horizontal drilling and the hydraulic fracturing process.

The recommendations address air, noise and light pollution; water management; and engineering flaws associated with horizontal gas well development and completion.

The study, titled “Practical measures for reducing the risk of environmental contamination in shale energy production’” is co-authored by Paul Ziemkiewicz, director of the West Virginia Water Research Institute, John Quaranta, assistant professor of environmental engineering at the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources and Michael McCawley, interim chair of the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences at the School of Public Health.

Gas extraction from shale gas formations has been made possible by recent advances in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technology. In the eastern United States, the Marcellus Formation gas play is one of the nation’s major natural gas reserves and in West Virginia alone, nearly 3,000 horizontal wells have been developed since 2008.

While rapid adoption of these methods has led to a surge in natural gas production in the United States, it has also increased public concern about its environmental and human health effects.

“These facilities are often located within a few hundred meters of homes and farms, many of which are supplied by shallow water wells,” explains Ziemkiewicz. “As a result, many of the public’s concerns focus on air and groundwater pollution as well as light and noise associated with horizontal drilling and well completion. This study was initiated largely due to these public concerns.”

Ziemkiewicz, along with the other researchers, conducted a thorough review of environmental literature relevant to shale gas development and examined over 15 Marcellus shale facilities in northern West Virginia. The researchers provide the following recommendations as a result of their study:

• On-site containment – Well sites should have properly constructed containment structures in the event of a well blowout or massive fluid leak.

• Blowout preventers – All wells should include blowout preventers to bring any uncontrolled fluid release under control quickly.

• Wellbore integrity – All wells should be pressure tested before hydraulic fluid injection.

• Waste transportation plans –The planned disposal of liquid and solid waste should be a required and enforceable component of the well’s permit.

• Solid waste characterization – Additional studies on the solid wastes from hydraulic fracturing are needed in order to identify inorganic, organic and radioactive contaminants.

• Pits and impoundments – Better training is needed for regulatory and industry field inspectors to significantly improve the design and construction of storage pits and impoundments for liquid waste.

• Air monitors and sound meters – Installation of air monitors and sound meters at sensitive locations and connect to a central monitoring station.

• Noise reduction – Route traffic away from residences (where possible), use better wetting agents to reduce peak dust exposures, and stage traffic to reduce both diesel exhaust concentrations and noise.

• Characterization of the source of airborne contaminants – Further research is needed to identify the source of airborne contaminants found at horizontal drilling operations in order to effectively manage emissions.

• Performance based standards – Require placement of continuous monitoring instruments near sensitive locations for feedback and process control at drill sites for air, light and noise.

While the study identified several problem areas that need to be addressed, Quaranta is quick to point out that the industry and regulatory agencies are already incorporating some of their recommendations.

“We’re seeing more inspection guidelines, more training opportunities for regulatory personnel and industry field inspectors, and better emergency management protocols are being put in place,” said Quaranta. “Our recommendations are already having an impact.”

The study was also recently accepted for publication in the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Journal of Environmental Science: Processes and Impacts. The study is currently available online and will be included as part of the journal’s special collection on the topic of hydraulic fracturing for the upcoming July issue. Located in the United Kingdom, the Royal Society of Chemistry is the United Kingdom’s professional body for chemistry and the world’s leading chemistry community.

“Hydraulic fracturing is either currently being used or planned for use around the United States and in a number of other countries to increase the production of natural gas,” explains McCawley. “We wanted to share our findings with not only the people of West Virginia, but also within a broader community of scientists through this current publication with hopes that there will be further discussion of the ideas we present as well as possible suggestions for alternative strategies.”

In 2012, WVU introduced its “Mountains of Excellence” for strategic investment in research areas where potential for growth and substantial return on investment makes sense. One of the initial areas of focus is utilizing shale gas responsibly.

The West Virginia Water Research Institute has been in existence since 1967 and has served as a statewide vehicle for performing research related to water issues. The Institute is the premier water research center in West Virginia and, within selected fields, an international leader.

Reference: Paul Ziemkiewicz, John D. Quaranta and Michael McCawley, Environ. Sci.: Processes & Impacts, 2014,16, 1692-1699, DOI: 10.1039/C3EM00510K, Received 04 Oct 2013, Accepted 03 Apr 2014. First published online 03 Apr 2014.

See also: www.FrackCheckWV.net

Universities Testing Water

Three Rivers QUEST Program

Primarily from article by Casey Junkins, Wheeling Intelligencer, December 10, 2012

Saying they want to prevent carcinogenic trihalomethanes from forming in the region’s water supply, officials with West Virginia University and Wheeling Jesuit University are checking major rivers for pollution.

Wheeling Jesuit biology professor Ben Stout joined others in Pittsburgh last week to take a sampling of the Ohio and Allegheny rivers as part of the Three Rivers QUEST, a federally funded program designed to monitor water quality in these rivers, as well as the Monongahela River. The Allegheny meets with the Monongahela River in the heart of Pittsburgh to form the Ohio River, which flows southward through the upper Ohio Valley.

Even though he admits that bromide – the chemical whose presence can lead to trihalomethanes – can occur naturally, Stout said bromide is commonly found in rivers near areas that have heavy Marcellus Shale natural gas activity.

He said officials want to collect data from various points along all three rivers every two weeks for one year to see how much the region’s gas drilling is impacting the water supply.”We need to see exactly what is getting into our water. That way, we can take action now before it is too late,” Stout said.

In addition to cancer, exposure to trihalomethanes can cause liver damage or decrease nervous system activity, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

After gas drillers pump millions of gallons of fracking fluid – consisting mostly of water and sand, but also including different chemical combinations that vary per the choice of the driller – into a production well, much of this substance flushes back up through the well. The fracking fluid combines with minerals and mud from the earth to create the briny wastewater that contains bromide.

Gas drillers have also been known to use ethylene glycol, a substance found in antifreeze, in their fracking fluid. Some others have used formaldehyde, which the Occupational Safety and Health Administration identifies as “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.”

See the web site for the WVU Three Rivers QUEST Program here.

The West Virginia Water Research Institute at West Virginia University, with the help of the Colcom Foundation, is expanding its successful Monongahela River water quality monitoring program to include the upper Ohio and Allegheny rivers.

The Institute developed the Quality Useful Environmental Study Teams program – known as QUEST – in response to growing concern over total dissolved solids – or TDS – in the Monongahela River in 2009. The newly expanded program is now called Three Rivers QUEST, or 3RQ.

A $700,000 grant from the Colcom Foundation, a Pittsburgh-based private foundation dedicated to fostering a sustainable environment, will allow for a geographic expansion of the program to include the Allegheny and upper Ohio River basins.

The first step in expanding the program was identifying partners to implement the monitoring program in the new geographical regions. Using a Request for Proposals process, Wheeling Jesuit University was selected to monitor the water quality of the upper Ohio River areas from Pittsburgh, Pa. downstream to near Parkersburg, W.Va. The monitoring will include several locations on the main stem of the Ohio River as well as major tributaries in West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Duquesne University in Pittsburgh will monitor the lower Allegheny River and its key tributaries while the Iron Furnace Chapter of Pennsylvania Trout Unlimited will monitor the upper portions of the Allegheny River and its tributaries.

The new program partners will be officially recognized and welcomed to the QUEST team at the annual State Water Research Conference on Tuesday and Wednesday (Oct. 30 and 31) at the Waterfront Place Hotel in Morgantown. The success of the QUEST program will be highlighted at this year’s event and presentations by Institute Director Paul Ziemkiewicz and QUEST Program Manager Melissa O’Neal will cover the topic in greater detail. To view the agenda and to register for this year’s event, visit www.wvwaterconference.org/2012.

The QUEST program includes a regimented, bi-weekly monitoring effort. While in the field, the Institute’s technicians record field data and collect water samples that undergo a rigorous chemical analysis at a state certified laboratory. In addition to the research, local watershed organizations participate in the monitoring program by collecting field data from various locations in the headwater streams of the rivers’ tributaries.

The QUEST program supports participating watershed organizations by providing access to monitoring equipment, chemical analysis of water samples and the use of an innovative data management tool that allows volunteers to enter their data via the internet into a secure, self-managed database. All the data collected is displayed on the program’s interactive web site (www.3riversquest.com) where citizens, scientists, federal and state agencies and industry have access to the water quality information and can search by location or date.

Founded in 1967, the West Virginia Water Research Institute is funded through the U.S. Geological Survey. It serves as a statewide vehicle for performing research related to water issues. It serves as the premier water research center in West Virginia and, within selected fields, is an international leader.

The primary mission of the Colcom Foundation is to foster a sustainable environment to ensure quality of life for all Americans by addressing major causes and consequences of overpopulation and its adverse effects on natural resources. Regionally, the Foundation supports conservation, environmental projects and cultural assets.

The grant from the Colcom Foundation was made in conjunction with “A State of Minds: The Campaign for West Virginia’s University.” The $750 million comprehensive campaign being conducted by the WVU Foundation on behalf of the University runs through December 2015.

CONTACT: Dave Saville, WV Water Research Institute
304.293.7066, Dave.Saville@mail.wvu.edu