Developing monitoring plans to detect spills related to natural gas production

Surface water is at risk from Marcellus Shale operations because of chemical storage on drill pads during hydraulic fracturing operations, and the return of water high in total dissolved solids (up to 345 g/L) from shale gas production. This research evaluated how two commercial, off-the-shelf water...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental monitoring and assessment 2016-11, Vol.188 (11), p.647-647, Article 647
Main Authors: Harris, Aubrey E., Hopkinson, Leslie, Soeder, Daniel J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis
Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution
Chemical contaminants
Chemical spills
Contaminants
Corrosion
Corrosion inhibitors
Dissolved oxygen
Drainage
Drilling
Earth and Environmental Science
Ecology
Ecotoxicology
Environment
Environmental Management
Environmental Monitoring
Environmental protection
Hydraulic fracturing
Instrumentation
Laboratories
Monitoring/Environmental Analysis
Natural Gas
Natural gas industry
Natural gas reserves
Oil and Gas Industry
Oil and gas production
Rivers
Sensors
Shales
Specific conductivity
Studies
Surface water
Total dissolved solids
Waste Water
Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis
Water pollution
Water Quality
Water treatment
Watershed management
Watersheds
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Summary:Surface water is at risk from Marcellus Shale operations because of chemical storage on drill pads during hydraulic fracturing operations, and the return of water high in total dissolved solids (up to 345 g/L) from shale gas production. This research evaluated how two commercial, off-the-shelf water quality sensors responded to simulated surface water pollution events associated with Marcellus Shale development. First, peak concentrations of contaminants from typical spill events in monitored watersheds were estimated using regression techniques. Laboratory measurements were then conducted to determine how standard in-stream instrumentation that monitor conductivity, pH, temperature, and dissolved oxygen responded to three potential spill materials: ethylene glycol (corrosion inhibitor), drilling mud, and produced water. Solutions ranging from 0 to 50 ppm of each spill material were assessed. Over this range, the specific conductivity increased on average by 19.9, 27.9, and 70 μS/cm for drilling mud, ethylene glycol, and produced water, respectively. On average, minor changes in pH (0.5–0.8) and dissolved oxygen (0.13–0.23 ppm) were observed. While continuous monitoring may be part of the strategy for detecting spills to surface water, these minor impacts to water quality highlight the difficulty in detecting spill events. When practical, sensors should be placed at the mouths of small watersheds where drilling activities or spill risks are present, as contaminant travel distance strongly affects concentrations in surface water systems.
ISSN:0167-6369
1573-2959
DOI:10.1007/s10661-016-5641-4