Identification of local groundwater pollution in northeastern Pennsylvania: Marcellus flowback or not?

Environmental Earth Sciences

Volumn 73, Issue 12, 2015, Pages 8097-8109

  Reilly, Darren ^a   Singer, David ^a   Jefferson, Anne ^a   Eckstein, Yoram ^a,b,c  

^a KENT STATE UNIVERSITY   (United States)

^b NATIONAL RESEARCH TOMSK POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY   (Russian Federation)

^c Eckstein and Associates Inc   (United States)

Author keywords

Drinking water; Flowback; Geochemistry; Groundwater contamination; Hydraulic fracturing; Pennsylvania, USA

Indexed keywords

AGRICULTURAL WASTES; CHEMICAL ANALYSIS; CONTAMINATION; DRILLING FLUIDS; EXPLORATORY GEOCHEMISTRY; FLOW OF FLUIDS; FRACTURING FLUIDS; GEOCHEMISTRY; GROUNDWATER; GROUNDWATER GEOCHEMISTRY; HYDRAULIC FRACTURING; HYDROCHEMISTRY; NATURAL GAS WELL DRILLING; OIL WELL DRILLING; POTABLE WATER; ROADS AND STREETS; RURAL AREAS; SHALE; SHALE GAS; TRACE ELEMENTS; WATER WELLS; WELL DRILLING;

ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY; FLOWBACK; FRACTURING PROCESS; GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATION; GROUNDWATER WELLS; MAJOR AND TRACE ELEMENTS; PENNSYLVANIA; UNCONVENTIONAL NATURAL GAS;

GROUNDWATER POLLUTION;

DATA SET; DRINKING WATER; GEOCHEMISTRY; GROUNDWATER POLLUTION; HYDRAULIC FRACTURE; HYDROCHEMISTRY; IDENTIFICATION METHOD; NATURAL GAS; POLLUTANT SOURCE; POLLUTION EFFECT;

PENNSYLVANIA; UNITED STATES;

ANIMALIA;

EID: 84929962659     PISSN: 18666280     EISSN: 18666299     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1007/s12665-014-3968-0     Document Type: Article

References (53)

1. APHA, AWWA, and WEF (1997) Method 2540 solids, standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater. http://www.standardmethods.org/store/ProductView.cfm?ProductID=63
2. org nitrogen (organic) standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater. http://www.uvm.edu/bwrl/lab_docs/protocols/4500-N(org)-ABCD_Total_dissolved_nitrogen_(SM).PDF. Accessed Sept 2013
3. Chesapeake Energy (2012) Water use in Marcellus deep shale gas exploration. http://www.chk.com/media/educational-library/fact-sheets/marcellus/marcellus_water_use_fact_sheet.pdf. Accessed Sept 2013
4. Colter A, Mahler RL (2006) Iron in drinking water. University of Idaho, Moscow
5. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Topographic and Geological Survey (Cartographer) (2000) Physiographic provinces of Pennsylvania [Map 13]. http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/cs/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_016202.pdf. Accessed Sept 2013
6. Fleeger GM (1999) The geology of Pennsylvania’s groundwater (educational series 3) Harrisburg. Pennsylvania Geological Survey, PA
7. Fleeger GM, McElroy TA, Moore ME (2004) Hydrogeologic and well-construction characteristics of the rocks of Pennsylvania (Water Resource Report 69) Harrisburg. Pennsylvania Geological Survey, PA
8. Halford KJ (1999) WaterQualityTools\PiperPlot-QW.xls. Retrieved from the USGS website http://nevada.usgs.gov/tech/excelforhydrology/Listing_and_Description.htm. Accessed Sept 2013
9. Hanchar DW (1991) Effects of septic-tank effluent on ground-water quality in northern Williamsom county and southern Davidson county, Tennessee (Water-Resources Investigations Report 91-4011). Retrieved from USGS website http://pubs.usgs.gov/wri/wri914011/pdf/wrir_91-4011_a.pdf. Accessed Sept 2013
10. Harper JA (1999) Devonian, In: Shultz C (ed) The geology of Pennsylvania. Pemcor Inc, Lancaster pp 109–127
11. Heisig PM (2002) Ground-water resources of the Clifton Park area, Saratoga county, New York (Water-Resources Investigations Report 01-4104). Retrieved from the USGS website: http://ny.water.usgs.gov/pubs/wri/wri014104/wrir01-4104.pdf. Accessed Sept 2013
12. Helsel DR (2006) Fabricating data: how substituting values for nondetects can ruin results, and what can be done about it. Chemosphere 65:2434–2439. doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2006.04.051
13. International Energy Agency (2012) World energy outlook 2012. http://www.iea.org/publications/freepublications/publication/WEO2012_free.pdf. Accessed Sept 2013
14. Jagucki ML, Darner RA (2001) Ground-water quality in Geauga county, Ohio-Review of previous studies, status in 1999, and comparison of 1986 and 1999 data (Water-Resources Investigations Report 01-4160). Retrieved from the USGS website http://oh.water.usgs.gov/reports/wrir/wrir01-4160.pdf. Accessed Sept 2013
15. Kargbo DM, Wilhelm RG, Campbell DJ (2010) Natural gas plays in the Marcellus shale: challenges and potential opportunities. Environ Sci Technol 44:5679–5684. doi:10.1021/es903811p
16. Katz BG, Eberts SM, Kauffman LJ (2010) Using Cl/Br ratios and other indicators to assess potential impacts on groundwater quality from septic systems: a review and examples from principal aquifers in the United States. J Hydrol 397:151–166. doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2010.11.017
17. Kenny JF, Barber NL, Hutson SS, Linsey KS, Lovelace JK, Maupin MA (2009) Estimated use of water in the United States in 2005 (US Geological Survey Circular 1344). Retrieved from the USGS website http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/1344/pdf/c1344.pdf. Accessed Sept 2013
18. Kreis RD, Scalf MR, McNabb JF (1972) Characteristics of rainfall runoff from a beef cattle feedlot (EPA-R2-72-061). Retrieved from the EPA website: http://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyNET.exe/9100NOGJ.txt?ZyActionD. Accessed Sept 2013
19. Low DJ, Chichester DC, Zarr LF (2008) Selected ground-water-quality data in Pennsylvania—1979–2006 (US Geological Survey Data Series 314). Retrieved from the USGS website http://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/314/. Accessed Sept 2013
20. Lowry R (2014) Transformations to create normality. In: R Lowry (ed) VassarStats, pp 56–57. http://vassarstats.net/textbook/. Accessed Sept 2013
21. Mullaney JR, Lorenz DL, Arntson AD (2009) Chloride in groundwater and surface water in areas underlain by the glacial aquifer system, northern United States (Scientific Investigations Report 2009–5086). Retrieved from the US Geological Survey, National Water-Quality Assessment Program webpage http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2009/5086/. Accessed Sept 2013
22. Musgrove M, Fahlquist L, Stanton GP, Houston NA, Lindgren RJ (2011) Hydrogeology, chemical characteristics, and water sources and pathways in the zone of contribution of a public-supply well in San Antonio, Texas (Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5146). Retrieved from the USGS website http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2011/5146/pdf/sir2011-5146.pdf. Accessed Sept 2013
23. Osborn SG, Vengosh A, Warner NR, Jackson RB (2011) Methane contamination of drinking water accompanying gas-well drilling and hydraulic fracturing. PNAS 108:8172–8176. doi:10.1073/pnas.1100682108
24. Panno SV, Hackley KC, Hwang HH, Greenberg S, Krapac IG, Landsberger S, O’Kelly DJ (2005) Database for the characterization and identification of the sources of sodium and chloride in natural waters of Illinois (Open File Series 2005-1). http://library.isgs.uiuc.edu/Pubs/pdfs/ofs/2005/ofs2005-01.pdf. Accessed Sept 2013
25. Panno SV, Hackley KC, Hwang HH, Greenberg S, Krapac IG, Landsberger S, O’Kelly DJ (2006) Characterization and identification of Na-Cl sources in ground water. Groundwater 44(2):176–187. http://info.ngwa.org/gwol/pdf/061681222.pdf. Accessed Sept 2013
26. Pennsylvania Bureau of Topographic and Geologic Survey, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (2001) Bedrock geology of Pennsylvania. http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/topogeo/publications/pgspub/map/map1/index.htm. Accessed Sept 2013
27. Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Waste Management (2012) Form 26R chemical analysis of residual waste annual report by the generator. Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Williamsport
28. Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Office of Oil and Gas Management (2013a) Marcellus shale development. http://www.elibrary.dep.state.pa.us/dsweb/Get/Document-97683/0100-FS-DEP4217.pdf. Accessed Sept 2013
29. Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Office of Oil and Gas Management (2013b) SPUD data report (Data file). http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/oil_and_gas_reports/20297. Accessed Sept 2013
30. Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Bureau of Planning and Research, Geographic Information Division (2011) PennDOT—Pennsylvania county boundaries. http://www.pasda.psu.edu. Accessed Sept 2013
31. Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health (2013) Rural: where is it anyway? http://www.porh.psu.edu/rural.html. Accessed Sept 2013
32. Poulsen J, French A (2013) Discriminant function analysis. http://userwww.sfsu.edu/efc/classes/biol710/discrim/discrim.pdf. Accessed Sept 2013
33. Rassenfoss S (2011) From flowback to fracturing: water recycling grows in the Marcellus shale. J Pet Technol 63(7):48–51. http://www.energy4me.org/hydraulicfracturing/wpcontent/uploads/2013/07/From-Flowback-to-Fracturing.pdf. Accessed Sept 2013
34. Reilly D (2014) Identification of local ground water pollution in northeastern Pennsylvania: Marcellus flow-back or not? (Electronic Thesis or Dissertation). https://etd.ohiolink.edu/. Accessed Sept 2013
35. Risch MR, Robinson B A (2000) Use of borehole and surface geophysics to investigate ground-water quality near a road-deicing salt-storage facility, Valparaiso, Indiana (Water-Resources Investigations Report 00-4070). Retrieved from USGS website http://in.water.usgs.gov/newreports/marty-borehole.pdf. Accessed Sept 2013
36. Robertson WD, Cherry JA, Sudicky EA (1991) Ground-water contamination from two small septic systems on sand aquifers. Groundwater 29(1):82–92. https://lagrangecountyhealth.sharepoint.com/Documents/910655333.pdf. Accessed Sept 2013
37. Shelton JL, Fram MS, Munday CM, Belitz K (2010) Groundwater-quality data for the Sierra Nevada study unit, 2008: Results from the California GAMA program (US Geological Survey Data Series 534). Retrieved from the USGS website http://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/534/ds_534.pdf. Accessed Sept 2013
38. Taylor LE (1984) Groundwater resources of the upper Susquehanna River basin, Pennsylvania (Water Resource Report 58) Harrisburg. Pennsylvania Geological Survey, PA
39. Taylor LE, Werkheiser WH, Kriz ML (1983) Groundwater resources of the west branch Susquehanna River basin, Pennsylvania (Water Resource Report 56) Harrisburg. Pennsylvania Geological Survey, PA
40. US Census Bureau, Pennsylvania State Data Center (2011) Pennsylvania total decennial population, 2010 and 2000 [Data file]. http://www.pasdc.hbg.psu.edu/Data/Census2010/tabid/1489/Default.aspx. Accessed Sept 2013
41. US Department of the Interior, US Geological Survey (2006) National field manual for the collection of water-quality data (Book 9, Chapter A4). Retrieved from the USGS website http://water.usgs.gov/owq/FieldManual/chapter4/pdf/Chap4_v2.pdf. Accessed Sept 2013
42. US Energy Information Administration (2012) Annual energy outlook 2012 with projections to 2035, Retrieved from EIA website http://www.eia.gov/forecasts/aeo/pdf/0383(2012).pdf. Accessed Sept 2013
43. US Environmental Protection Agency (1974) Method 310.2 alkalinity (colorimetric, automated, methyl orange). Retrieved from the EPA website http://water.epa.gov/scitech/methods/cwa/bioindicators/upload/2007_07_10_methods_method_310_2.pdf. Accessed Sept 2013
44. US Environmental Protection Agency (1978) Method 353.2 nitrogen, nitrate–nitrite (colorimetric, automated, cadmium reduction). Retrieved from the EPA website http://www.epa.gov/region6/6lab/methods/353_2.pdf. Accessed Sept 2013
45. US Environmental Protection Agency (1993) Method 300.0 determination of inorganic anions by ion chromatography (Revision 2.1). Retrieved from the EPA website http://water.epa.gov/scitech/methods/cwa/bioindicators/upload/2007_07_10_methods_method_300_0.pdf. Accessed Sept 2013
46. US Environmental Protection Agency (1994) Method 200.8 determination of trace elements in waters and wastes by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (Revision 5.4). Retrieved from the EPA website http://www.epa.gov/sam/pdfs/EPA-200.8.pdf. Accessed Sept 2013
47. US Environmental Protection Agency (2001) Method 200.7 Trace elements in water, solids, and biosolids by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (Revision 4.4). Retrieved from the EPA website http://www.epa.gov/sam/pdfs/EPA-200.7.pdf. Accessed Sept 2013
48. US Geological Survey (2011) National land cover database 2006 CONUS land cover: NLCD2006_LC_N39W075_v1. http://www.mrlc.gov. Accessed Sept 2013
49. Vidic RD, Brantley SL, Vandenbossche JM, Yoxtheimer D, Abad JD (2013) Impact of shale gas development on regional water quality. Science. doi:10.1126/science.1235009
50. Waller RM (1994) Ground water and the rural homeowner. Retrieved from the USGS website http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/gw_ruralhomeowner/. Accessed Sept 2013
51. Watson LR, Bayless ER, Buszka PM, Wilson JT (2002) Effects of highway-deicer application on ground-water quality in a part of the Calumet aquifer, northwestern Indiana (Water-Resources Investigations Report 01-4260). Retrieved from the USGS website http://in.water.usgs.gov/newreports/watson-roadsalt.pdf. Accessed Sept 2013
52. Whittemore DO (2007) Fate and identification of oil-brine contamination in different hydrogeologic settings. Appl Geochem 22:2099–2114. doi:10.1016/j.apgeochem.2007.04.002
53. Yates MV (1985) Septic tank density and ground-water contamination. Groundwater 25(5):586–591. http://www.saublesewer.com/Documents/19850430%20Septic%20Tank%20Density%20and%20Ground-Water%20Contamination.pdf