FRACKING 101
That means the whole ball of wax
TERMS OF ART - FRACKING
One word to capture all of the activities
 “Fracking” includes
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Drill pad activities and the well pad during production
High volume slickwater hydraulic fracturing
Storage of water and wastewater
Gathering lines and compressors
Centralized compressor stations and larger pipelines
Air emissions from well pad and storage/transport
Truck traffic, accidents, and damage to roads
Temporary workers, man camps, high rent, no hotels
Political pressure (jobs), regulations, public hearings
Liquid and solid waste disposal (landfill/injection)
BURNETT ROAD NEAR FLOWER MOUND 1995
BURNETT ROAD NEAR FLOWER MOUND 2005
WHAT TO FRACK?
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Vertical well extraction
Fracturing used to increase flowpaths to wellbore
 Small volumes of water and chemicals (50,000 gal)
 Small pressures
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Horizontal well extraction
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Fracturing used to create flowpaths in the entire
formation to release oil and gas
Multiple horizontal legs to increase exposure
Significant volumes of water (millions of gallons) and
chemicals (1000’s of gallons of many different types)
HVSW fracking - numerous times per well
Spiderweb of well pads – many wells per pad
Cased hole versus open hole fracking
VERTICAL VS HORIZONTAL
http://www.neb-one.gc.ca/clf-nsi/archives/rnrgynfmtn/nrgyrprt/ntrlgs/prmrndrstndngshlgs2009/
prmrndrstndngshlgs2009-eng.html
USES MORE OF EVERYTHING
Water use
 Number of wells per pad
 Length of the production string
 Chemicals
 Compressors
 Pipelines
 Tank farms, centralized water impoundments
 Trucks
 Residual waste
 People
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LAND ALONG HWY 373 IN 1995
LAND ALONG HWY 373 IN 2005
LAND ALONG HWY 373 IN 2008
LAND ALONG HWY 373 IN 2014
CLOSEUP OF WELL PAD AREA IN 1995
CLOSEUP OF WELL PAD AREA IN 2008
SUPER CLOSE-UP OF WELL PAD AREA IN 2014
‘TWO CELL’ DRILL PIT (EARTHWORKS PHOTO)
Permian basin
Barnett shale
Barnett shale
Eagle ford shale
http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/assets/public/implementation/barnett_shale/bs_images/txOilGasWells.png
Barnett Shale Formation
only
17,361 currently
producing gas wells
1,018 currently
producing oil wells
18,329 total number of
producing wells
All Formations including
Barnett Shale
25,462 currently
producing gas wells
15,770 currently
producing oil wells
41,232 total number of
producing wells
Permitted but not yet
producing – 7,693 wells
https://www.tceq.texas.gov/airquality/barnettshale/bshale-maps
http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/assets/public/implementation/barnett_shale/bsAnnualWellCount.pdf
DEPTH LOCATION OF BARNETT SHALE
Cretaceous - aquifers
The Barnett shale formation
occurs at depths less than 8000 feet
and is composed of two parts
the Upper Barnett (lean)
and Lower Barnett (rich)
Barnett shale
http://www.eesi.psu.edu/news_events/E
arthTalks/2009Spring/materials2009sp
r/BarnettShGasJarvie.pdf
AQUIFERS ACROSS DALLAS-FT WORTH AREA
http://129.116.232.161/presentations/2007_presentations/Nicot_DallasOct20-2007.pdf
SIMPLIFIED VIEW OF COMPLETION METHOD
Eagle Ford Shale Formation
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/1017851-rrc-map-of-eagle-ford-shale-jan-6-2014.html
http://geology.com/articles/eagle-ford
AQUIFER CROSS-SECTION EAGLE FORD SHALE
http://www.twdb.state.tx.us/gam/czwx_s/CZWX_S_FinalReport_Part1.pdf
BASE OF FRESHWATER AT EAGLE FORD SHALE
http://www.twdb.state.tx.us/gam/czwx_s/CZWX_S_FinalReport_Part2.pdf
EAGLE FORD SHALE 2008-2014 PRODUCTION
EAGLE FORD SHALE - KARNES AND WHITSETT 2008
EAGLE FORD SHALE - KARNES AND WHITSETT 2014
EAGLE FORD SHALE SW KARNES LINES OF WELL PADS
EAGLE FORD SE OF PEGGY, TX 2008
EAGLE FORD SE PEGGY, TX 2012
EAGLE FORD SHALE CENTRALIZED PIT AND PADS 2008
EAGLE FORD SHALE CENTRALIZED PIT AND PADS 2008
CLOSE-UP OF ACTIVE WELL PAD 2012
CLOSE-UP OF ACTIVE WELL PAD PITS 2012
COMPRESSOR STATION IN EAGLE FORD SHALE
2008
2010
2014
COMPRESSOR STATION IN BACKYARD (EARTHWORKS)
EAGLE FORD SHALE PONDS 2008 PRE-CONSTRUCTION
EAGLE FORD SHALE POND AND PAD 2012
EAGLE FORD SHALE WELL PIT BREECH 2014
CLOSE-UP OF WELL PAD BREECH 2014
NIMBY – NOT IN MY ACTUAL BACKYARD
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Drilling close to homes, businesses, and parks
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Noise, lights, and traffic
Air pollution, smog, and health impacts
Property value, mortgage issues, and safety concerns
Destruction of farmland
 State regulations difficult to change
 Local ordinances
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Protecting public health, water, and air
 Takes courage and serious communication
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Federal lands
Trading small royalties for long-term access
 Potential for environmental impact assessment
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DO
YOU
THINK
THIS IS
TOO
CLOSE TO
HOMES,
PARKS,
AND
HOSPITALS
NOT IN MY ACTUAL BACKYARD
MORE BACKYARDS IN TEXAS (EARTHWORKS PHOTO)
FARMLAND NEAR DISH TX 1995
FARMLAND NEAR DISH TX 2001
FARMLAND NEAR DISH TX 2005
CLOSE-UP OF FARMLAND TRACTOR PATTERNS
CLOSE-UP OF FARMLAND WELL PAD SITE
ODD WAY OF SAYING THINGS
Energy independence means exporting LPG
 Economic development means boom town during
drilling and bust town when they are done.
 Leasing oil and gas rights means we can drill just
about any where we want and give you a pittance
 Strict regulations means less regulations
 Disclosure means using a website designed to be
difficult to retrieve information
 Methane gas in your water well is natural
 Radioactivity in drill cuttings and wastewater is
NORMal
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Gas migration paths
in the wellbore
A-between outside
casing and cement
B-between inside
casing and cement
C-through the
cement itself
D-through pipe
corrosion
E-channeling in the
cement
F-between cement
and wellbore
http://www.ucalgary.ca/wasp/Well%20Integrity%20Analysis.pdf
MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS
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Public disclosure of chemicals
Radioactivity in drill cuttings and other wastes and
wastewaters
Increased earthquakes around fracking and/or
injection wells
Boom/bust cycles on small rural communities
Greenhouse gas contributions
Consumption of water vs recycling efforts
Adequate state and local regulations to protect public
health, the environment, and address costs to
communities
Federal lands and due compensation
Who will actually benefit if natural gas is exported?
MORE INFORMATION
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April 2014 EPA study on state regulations
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http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/industrial/special/oil/state_summaries_040114.pdf
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San Antonio Express four part series on Eagle Ford Shale Flaring
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http://www.expressnews.com/business/eagleford/item/Up-in-Flames-Day-1-Flares-in-Eagle-Ford-Shale32626.php
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US Energy Information Administration website on drilling productivity
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http://www.eia.gov/petroleum/drilling/#tabs-summary-1
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USGS Animation of Oklahoma Earthquakes 2008-2014
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http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/ceus/products/OKeqanimation.php
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EIA Animation of Shale Gas Well Production in Barnett Shale
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http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=2170
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Blind Rush – Shale Gas Boom Proceeds Among Health Concerns
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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3237379/
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Overview of Barnett Shale ppt
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http://www.adv-res.com/pdf/Kuuskraa_Case_Study_1_Barnett_Shale_China_Workshop_APR_2010.pdf