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fax 01-972-952-9435. AbstractProcesses of unconventional gas recovery frequently have to deal with water issues. For the purposes of protecting both productivity and the environment, well operators must monitor the relationship between their extraction activity and the surrounding groundwater network. This is especially true in the case of hydraulic fracturing, when new fractures may facilitate communication with the local aqueous system. Well operators therefore have a vested interest in more effective methods for determining the size, shape, and flow patterns of subsurface water features. This paper introduces a new water imaging technology and considers its implications for unconventional gas recovery. The technology uses Controlled Source-Frequency Domain Magnetics (CS-FDM) to map and model underground water features. Its rapid and minimally invasive procedure has now been effectively implemented in a variety of ground-water projects. The results of those projects suggest that it possesses significant potential value for the natural gas industry. This paper will serve as the beginning of an overdue conversation about its merits and possibilities in that field.One of the most relevant applications of this technology has come in the area of improved oil recovery. By applying the technology's water-mapping capabilities to oil reservoirs that have been flooded with water or steam, field operators have been able to quickly and accurately characterize the features of those reservoirs and thus develop more effective stimulation strategies. At this stage in the technology's development, it is time to ask whether it can serve a similar function in unconventional gas production. That is, can a tight-gas feature or coal bed which has been filled with fracturing fluid, take advantage of CS-FDM's capacity for reservoir characterization? The answer to that question could have major implications for production well placement, facilitating increased output and minimizing environmental impact, and also for evaluating hydraulic fractures

TX 75083-3836, U.S.A., fax 01-972-952-9435.recovery methods hold significant advantages for both investors and the environment. Flooding is a proven method of extending reservoir productionlife. By providing a quick, efficient and accurate map of those flow paths, this new geophysical procedure represents an important forward step in the quest to teach "old reservoirs new tricks."

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This paper introduces a water-mapping technique that is particularly well suited to certain environmental protection and remediation tasks associated with petroleum production. In this procedure, electrodes are used to charge water systems with a low voltage electrical current. As the current flows through the water between the electrodes, it emits a magnetic field whose shape, depth and direction are characteristic of the surrounding aqueous network (Biot-Savart Law). This field is then read at the surface by a specially tuned receiver. The data thus generated can be used to create maps indicating the attributes of various subsurface water systems, including flooded oil fields. The proven benefits of this mapping procedure are especially apparent in relation to water flooding and steam stimulation. As oil recovery techniques, these practices have significant benefits for the environment. By making existing oil fields more productive, they reduce the need for the development of new fields, thus avoiding the attendant ecological disruptions. In both maximizing their efficiency and minimizing their environmental impact, water-flooding practices are aided by water-mapping technologies. When water and steam are forced through the chambers of an oil field, they sometimes emerge in unexpected places---carrying heavy crude. Such unanticipated surface expressions pose serious risks of environmental damage and lost production. By charting the potential flow paths of these floods, and identifying possible surface expressions, water maps help reduce the ecological impact and improve the productivity of flooding practices. Furthermore, when groundwater has been contaminated, water maps play a critical role in remediation efforts. The greatest challenge in addressing groundwater contamination is gaining an accurate understanding of the complex web of channels and reservoirs which lie hidden below the surface. Remediation teams cannot deal with polluted water flows until they know where they are flowing. Here too, advanced groundwater maps offer critical information to those charged with protecting the environment. After detailing the theoretical science behind this technique, the paper will analyze the environmental implications of a recent deployment in the E&P industry. Introduction Characterizing and mapping ground water are both difficult tasks that have proven to be costly and unreliable in the past. However, there is a great need across many different types of industries to provide reliable information with respect to where ground water is and how it travels through the subsurface. Such was the case with a major crude oil producer and a client of Willowstick Technologies. For purposes of this paper, and to protect the client, they shall hereafter be known as "the Client". As part of an elaborate crude oil extraction system, which used steam injection as a part of the process, a significant amount of waste water is generated that contained high amounts of salts and minerals. The Client has permits with local and national agengencies to inject this saline water back into the earth in a specific formation, but has the responsibility to monitor and track where the plume extends in the subsurface. As a result, the Client contracted Willowstick Technologies to perform a survey using its patented geophysical technology called AquaTrack™.