Evaluation of Unconventional Natural Gas Development

1. Evaluation of Unconventional Natural Gas Development Potential Impacts to Aquatic Environments Kathleen Patnode – PAFO

7. ResourceConcerns WATER QUANTITIY & QUALITY TNC Pennsylvania Chapter 2010

8. WATER QUANTITY • Demand • 5 to 7 million gallons per well • from small streams by truck • from rivers by pipeline • need reduced by recycling of used water • Water withdrawal regulations • varies between states • varies between and within river basins

9. WATER QUALITY • Chemicals added to Frac Water • Acids • Friction Reducers • Surfactants • Gelling Agent • Scale Inhibitor • pH Adjusting Agent • Oxygen Scavenger • Breaker • Crosslinkers • Iron Control • Corrosion Inhibitor • Antibacterial agent

10. Wastewater Issues • Flowback Water – hydraulic fracturing fluid that flows back to surface • up to ≈ 70 % flows to surface • most recovered in first 1 to 2 weeks • TDS increases up to 200,000 ppm • frac chemicals, trace elements & NORM

11. Characterizing the Waste

12. Wastewater Issues • Flowback Water Management Options • Deep Well Injection • Discharge to POTWs • Direct Reuse for Fracking • Treatment for Reuse • Reuse Pressure to: • reduce stream and river withdrawal • eliminate wastewater pass-through at POTWs

13. Contamination of water sources No backflow preventers installed Contaminated water and invasive species in vac trucks can discharge into water source (well, tank, lake, stream)

14. Brine Treatment at Conventional Treatment Plants • VOCs – blown off • Oil & Grease, removed • Metals, removed • Does NOT treat TDS salts or NORM • TDS in = TDS out

15. Reusing Wastewater • Treatment for Reuse • 5-7 acre impoundments for mixing • impoundments provide reuse water to multiple wells • ~2000 truck loads of wastewater on rural roads • use of reuse lines from impoundments to local wells • high risk of truck spills and waste line breaks • spills are not being reported to NRC

16. Potential Impacts to Natural Resources

17. Potential Contamination Pathways • Well Blowouts • Groundwater contamination • Inadequate well cementing • Surface water contamination • Frac flowback spills • Leaking or overflowing open water impoundments • Insufficient wastewater treatment Water quality violations: conductivity, osmotic pressure, barium, strontium, chloride, aluminum Mortality: fish, aquatic invertebrates, amphibians

18. Documented Impacts to FWS Trust Resources • Frac Flowback Spill • Acorn Creek, KY in 2007 • Threatened Blackside dace • Frac flowback spilled into creek • Lowered pH from 7.5 to 5.6 • Increased conductivity • 100 to 35,000 uS/cm • Fish & aquatic invertebrate mortality Source: Anthony Velasco, Environmental Contaminants Specialist, USFWS, KY

19. UNAUTHORIZED TAKE

20. LACK OF COORDINATION WITHOUT FEDERAL NEXUS

21. EROSION AND SEDIMENTATION Extensive disturbance Insufficient E&S controls Multiple creek crossings Drilling mud releases

22. Federal Interagency Team • Objective to address key science issues and data gaps • Geological framework • Changes in water availability (groundwater and surface water) • Changes in water quality (groundwater and surface water) • Changes in air quality (stray gas and dust) • Induced seismicity • Changes in landscape and habitat condition • Effects of these changes on • biological resources • human health • ecosystem services

23. Mussel Interagency Team (FWS, USGS, EPA) -determine no effect concentrations for ions in flowback water -work with state to implement protective permit limits -establish injury levels for spill NRDA

26. Best Management Practices – Water Quality • Development & use of “green” chemicals • Closed loop drilling & fracturing • No pits & reuse of frac water • Treatment and reuse of frac water • Development & use of dry-frac process • Liquid CO2 • Explosives • Development of spill contingency plans • public lands / easements • Other areas with sensitive species