Baseline Groundwater Study in Athens and
Belmont Counties
State of the Region Conference
June 4, 2013
Dr. Natalie Kruse Daniels and Jennifer Bowman
Ohio University’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs
Funders and partners
• The Sugarbush Foundation
• Institute for Sustainable Energy and the
Environment (ISEE) Laboratory
• Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Laboratory
• Analytical Associates (AA) Laboratory
Potential Threats to Water Quality from the
Process of Horizontal Hydraulic Fracturing
James Saiers, Professor of Hydrology, School of Forestry and
Environmental Studies, Yale University, November, 2011
SampleLocations
Locationsinin
Athens,
Hocking
and and
Perry
County
Sampling
Athens,
Hocking,
Meigs,
Perry
County
Sample Type
Mine
Well
Spring
Streams
0
2.5
5
Miles
10
Sample Locations in Belmont and Guernsey County
Sample Type
Mine
Well
Spring
Streams
0
2.5
5
Miles
10
Baseline Groundwater Water Quality Testing
Field Parameters
pH
Chemical Oxygen Demand
(COD)
Total Dissolved Solids
Conductivity
Alkalinity
Magnesium
Potassium
Calcium
Nitrate + Nitrite
Sodium
Minor and Trace Elements
Aluminum
Barium
Bromide
Chromium
Cobalt
Iron 2395
Manganese
Nickel
Titanium
Ammonia
Beryllium
Cadmium
Chromium 2677
Copper
Iron 2599
Manganese 2576
Selenium
Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (TKN)
Arsenic
Boron
Chloride
Chromium 2835
Iron
Lead
Manganese 2794
Strontium
Total Phosphorus
Vanadium
Zinc
Hardness, Total
Turbidity
Major Ions
Acidity
Chloride
Nitrite
Sulfate
Total Suspended Solids
Organic Chemicals
1,1,1,2-Tetrachloroethane
1,1,2-Trichloroethane
1,1-Dichloropropene
1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene
1,2-Dibromoethane
1,2-Dichloropropane
1,3-Dichloropropane
1 - Butanol
2-Butanone
2-Pentanone
4-Methyl-2-pentanone
Acrolein
Bromobenzene
Bromoform
Carbon tetrachloride
Chloroform
cis-1,3-Dichloropropene
Dichlorodifluoromethane
Ethylbenzene
Iodomethane
Isopropylbenzene
Methylene chloride
n-Butylbenzene
n- dodecane
n- hexacosane
n- octadecane
n- tetradecane
Propionitrile
Styrene
Tetrachloroethene
trans-1,2-Dichloroethene
1,1,1-Trichloroethane
1,1-Dichloroethane
1,2,3-Trichlorobenzene
1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene
1,2-Dichlorobenzene
1,3,5-Trimethylbenzene
1,4-Dichlorobenzene
1-Propanol
2-Chlorotoluene
4-Chlorotoluene
Acetone
Acrylonitrile
Bromochloromethane
Bromomethane
Chlorobenzene
Chloromethane
Dibromochloromethane
Ethanol
Ethylene Oxide
Isobutyl Alcohol
Methane
Methyl Isobutyl Ketone
n- decane
n- dotriaoctane
n- hexadecane
n-Propylbenzene
n- triacontrane
Pyridine
t- Butyl alcohol
Toluene
trans-1,3-Dichloropropene
1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane
1,1-Dichloroethene
1,2,3-Trichloropropane
1,2-Dibromo-3-chloropropane
1,2-Dichloroethane
1,3-Dichlorobenzene
1,4-Dioxane
2,2-Dichloropropane
2-Hexanone
4-Isopropyltoluene
Acetonitrile
Benzene
Bromodichloromethane
Carbon disulfide
Chloroethane
cis-1,2-Dichloroethene
Dibromomethane
Ethyl Acetate
Hexachlorobutadiene
Isopropyl Alcohol
Methanol
Naphthalene
n- docosane
n- eicosane
n- octacosane
n- tetracosane
o-Xylene
sec-Butylbenzene
tert-Butylbenzene
Total m&p-xylenes
trans-1,4-Dichloro-2-butene
Regional report
• Final report in progress
• Box plots of water quality found at the acid
mine drainage sites graphed separately
• Concentrations above MCL
– @ mine sites: Al and As
– @ GW sites: Pb and As (As ISEE lab only)
• List of parameters at or below detection level
(all VOCs)
Acid mine
drainage sites
Groundwater
sites
Groundwater parameters at or below detection level
1,1,1,2-Tetrachloroethane
1,1,1-Trichloroethane
1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane
1,1,2-Trichloroethane
1,1-Dichloroethane
1,1-Dichloroethene
1,1-Dichloropropene
1,2,3-Trichlorobenzene
1,2,3-Trichloropropane
1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene
1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene
1,2-Dibromo-3-chloropropane
1,2-Dibromoethane
1,2-Dichlorobenzene
1,2-Dichloroethane
1,2-Dichloropropane
1,3,5-Trimethylbenzene
1,3-Dichlorobenzene
1,3-Dichloropropane
1,4-Dichlorobenzene
2,2-Dichloropropane
2-Chlorotoluene
2-Hexanone
4-Chlorotoluene
4-Isopropyltoluene
4-Methyl-2-pentanone
Benzene
Bromobenzene
Bromochloromethane
Bromodichloromethane
Bromoform
Bromomethane
Carbon disulfide
Carbon tetrachloride
Chlorobenzene
Chloroethane
Chloroform
Chloromethane
cis-1,2-Dichloroethene
cis-1,3-Dichloropropene
Dibromochloromethane
Dibromomethane
Dichlorodifluoromethane
Ethylbenzene
Hexachlorobutadiene
Iodomethane
Isopropylbenzene
Methylene chloride
Naphthalene
n-Butylbenzene
n- decane
n- docosane
n- dodecane
n- dotriaoctane
n- eicosane
n- hexacosane
n- hexadecane
n- octacosane
n- octadecane
n-Propylbenzene
n- tetracosane
n- tetradecane
n- triacontrane
o-Xylene
sec-Butylbenzene
Styrene
tert-Butylbenzene
Tetrachloroethene
Toluene
Total m&p-xylenes
trans-1,2-Dichloroethene
trans-1,3-Dichloropropene
trans-1,4-Dichloro-2-butene
Trichloroethene
Trichlorofluoromethane
Vinyl acetate
Vinyl chloride
Xylene(s)
Ohio wells 2011-2012
Producing
Drilling/Drilled
Permit
Jan
Feb
Mar
0
6
4
0
8
4
1
8
5
Apr May
1
10
4
1
10
6
Jun Jul
2011
2
2
12 13
6
13
Aug Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
3
14
17
7
13
31
7
19
44
7
27
53
9
38
52
13
37
73
14
47
90
4
15
24
Apr May
Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2012
16 17 22 30 33 40 41 43 44
57 71 84 95 108 120 140 145 148
106 118 139 152 172 191 204 222 248
GEA 1
CUY 0
TRU 2
MED 1
Utica Wells
Permitted or Drilled
POR 14
SUM 0
WAY 1
HOL 3
STA 13
COS 5
GUE 26
MUS 3
NOB 25
0
20
40
PER 0 MRG 0
80
HOC 0
VIN 0
WAS 0
ATH 0
MEG 0
JAC 0
SCI 0
GAL 0
LAW 0
COL 62
CAR 181
TUS 12
Miles
MAH 15
JEF 33
HAS 64
BEL 14
MOE 22
Good reasons for baseline pre-drilling monitoring
A study titled Hydraulic Fracturing and Safe Drinking Water Act Issues written by the Congressional
Research Service in July 2012 Stated :
“A key barrier to better understanding groundwater contamination
risks that may be associated with hydraulic fracturing has been the
lack of scientific studies to assess the practice and related
complaints.”
A shale gas study titled Fact-Based Regulation for Environmental Protection in Shale Gas Development,
by the Energy Institute at the University of Texas in Feb. 2012 Stated:
“Regarding claims of water well impacts from shale gas development
(mainly involving methane, turbidity, odor, and chemical
contaminants), the report notes that such constituents in many cases
were present before shale gas development, but often there is
insufficient baseline (pre-drilling) sampling or monitoring to establish
the impacts of drilling fracturing, and other operations.”
Thank You!
Dr. Natalie Kruse Daniels
Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs
Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies
krusen@ohio.edu
Jennifer Bowman
Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs
Energy and the Environment, Senior Project Manager
bowmanj2@ohio.edu