A reconnaissance analysis of groundwater quality in the Eagle Ford shale region reveals two distinct bromide/chloride populations

Hildenbrand, Zacariah L.; Carlton, Doug D.; Meik, Jesse M.; Taylor, Josh T.; Fontenot, Brian E.; Walton, Jayme L.; Henderson, Drew; Thacker, Jonathan B.; Korlie, Stephanie; Whyte, Colin J.; Hudak, Paul F.; Schug, Kevin A.

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.09.070

Cited by 26 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…The mostly fluvial and fluvio-deltaic deposits of Cenozoic age often include organic material (Hamlin 1988) that can be utilized by methanogens. Hildenbrand et al (2017) recently documented there total organic content as high as approximately 140 mg/L, especially at depth >1000 feet (300 m). Such an example of methanogenesis has been described in Central Texas (Grossman et al 1989), where methane oxidation has also been suggested in the same Eocene formations investigated in this study (Zhang et al 1998).…”

Section: Natural Sources Of Methanementioning

confidence: 99%

Controls on Methane Occurrences in Aquifers Overlying the Eagle Ford Shale Play, South Texas

et al. 2017

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Assessing natural vs. anthropogenic sources of methane in drinking water aquifers is a critical issue in areas of shale oil and gas production. The objective of this study was to determine controls on methane occurrences in aquifers in the Eagle Ford Shale play footprint. A total of 110 water wells were tested for dissolved light alkanes, isotopes of methane, and major ions, mostly in the eastern section of the play. Multiple aquifers were sampled with approximately 47 samples from the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer (250-1200 m depth range) and Queen City-Sparta Aquifer (150-900 m depth range) and 63 samples from other shallow aquifers but mostly from the Catahoula Formation (depth <150 m). Besides three shallow wells with unambiguously microbial methane, only deeper wells show significant dissolved methane (22 samples >1 mg/L, 10 samples >10 mg/L). No dissolved methane samples exhibit thermogenic characteristics that would link them unequivocally to oil and gas sourced from the Eagle Ford Shale. In particular, the well water samples contain very little or no ethane and propane (C1/C2+C3 molar ratio >453), unlike what would be expected in an oil province, but they also display relatively heavier δ C (>-55‰) and δD (>-180‰). Samples from the deeper Carrizo and Queen City aquifers are consistent with microbial methane sourced from syndepositional organic matter mixed with thermogenic methane input, most likely originating from deeper oil reservoirs and migrating through fault zones. Active oxidation of methane pushes δ C and δD toward heavier values, whereas the thermogenic gas component is enriched with methane owing to a long migration path resulting in a higher C1/C2+C3 ratio than in the local reservoirs.

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Section: Natural Sources Of Methanementioning

confidence: 99%

Controls on Methane Occurrences in Aquifers Overlying the Eagle Ford Shale Play, South Texas

et al. 2017

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“…In the work presented here, we assess groundwater quality in relation to quantifiable perceptions of UD and its potential impacts on the environment in the Eagle Ford shale region of southern Texas (Figure 1). Multiple reconnaissance efforts have recently evaluated groundwater quality throughout the Western Gulf Basin, revealing elevated levels of biogenic and thermogenic natural gas [21,22], BTEX compounds [23], total organic carbon and various organic solvents [24] in private and public water supply wells. However, these data are the first to evaluate the prevalence of organic and inorganic groundwater constituents within the context of community members' perceptions, providing unique insight into the relationship between residents and the UD industry operations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Attitudes, Perceptions and Geo-Spatial Analysis of Water Quality and Individual Health Status in a High-Fracking Region

Granados¹,

Hildenbrand²,

Mata³

et al. 2019

Preprint

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The expansion of unconventional oil and gas development (UD) across the US continues to be at the center of debates regarding safety to health and the environment. This study evaluated the water quality of private water wells in the Eagle Ford Shale within the context of community members perception. Community members (n=75) were surveyed regarding health status and perceptions of drinking water quality. Water samples (n=19) were collected from private wells and tested for a variety of water quality parameters. Of the private wells sampled, 8 had exceedences of MCLs for drinking water standards. Geospatial analysis showed the majority of well owners who did have exceedances self-reported their health status as poor. Surveys showed that the majority of respondents received their water from a municipal source and were significantly more distrustful of their water source than of those on private wells. The data also showed a high number of people self-reporting health problems without a healthcare provider’s diagnosis. Attitudes and perceptions of water quality play an important role in the overall perceived health status of community members in high fracking regions, stressing the importance of transparency and communication by the UD industry.

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“…The oil and gas industry exercises a number of precautionary measures to ensure that groundwater quality is not impacted by nature. Multiple reconnaissance efforts have recently evaluated groundwater quality throughout the Western Gulf Basin revealing elevated levels of biogenic and thermogenic natural gas [25,26]; benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene (BTEX) compounds [27]; and total organic carbon, and various organic solvents [24] in private and public water supply wells. However, these data are the first to evaluate the prevalence of organic and inorganic groundwater constituents within the context of community members' perceptions, providing unique insight into the relationship between residents and the UD industry operations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, these data are the first to evaluate the prevalence of organic and inorganic groundwater constituents within the context of community members' perceptions, providing unique insight into the relationship between residents and the UD industry operations. various organic solvents [24] in private and public water supply wells. However, these data are the first to evaluate the prevalence of organic and inorganic groundwater constituents within the context of community members' perceptions, providing unique insight into the relationship between residents and the UD industry operations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Attitudes, Perceptions, and Geospatial Analysis of Water Quality and Individual Health Status in a High-Fracking Region

Granados

Hildenbrand²,

Mata

et al. 2019

Water

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The expansion of unconventional oil and gas development (UD) across the US continues to be at the center of debates regarding safety to health and the environment. This descriptive study evaluated the water quality of private water wells in the Eagle Ford Shale as well as community members' perceptions of their water. Community members (n = 75) were surveyed about their health status and perceptions of drinking water quality. Water samples from respondent volunteers (n = 19) were collected from private wells and tested for a variety of water quality parameters. Of the private wells sampled, eight had exceedances of maximum contaminant limits (MCLs) for drinking water standards. Geospatial descriptive analysis illustrates the distributions of the well exceedance as well as the well owners' overall health status. Point-biserial correlational analysis of the haversine distance between respondents and well exceedances revealed four statistically significant relationships {Well 11, Well 12, Well 13, Well 14} with correlations of {0.47, 53, 0.50, 0.48} and p-values of {0.04, 0.02, 0.03, 0.04}, respectively. These correlations suggest that as distance from these northwestern wells increase, there is a higher likelihood of exceedances. Those relying on municipal water or purchased water assessed that it was less safe to drink than those relying on private wells for drinking (p < 0.001, Odds Ratio, OR = 44.32, 95% CI = {5.8, 2003.5}) and cooking (p < 0.003, OR = 13.20, 95% CI = {1.8, 589.9}. Tests of proportional differences between self-reported conditions and provider-reported conditions revealed statistical significance in most cases, perhaps indicating that residents believed they have illnesses for which they are not yet diagnosed (including cancer). In many cases, there are statistically significant differences between self-reported, provider undiagnosed conditions and self-reported, provider diagnosed conditions.

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A reconnaissance analysis of groundwater quality in the Eagle Ford shale region reveals two distinct bromide/chloride populations

Cited by 26 publications

References 39 publications

Controls on Methane Occurrences in Aquifers Overlying the Eagle Ford Shale Play, South Texas

Controls on Methane Occurrences in Aquifers Overlying the Eagle Ford Shale Play, South Texas

Attitudes, Perceptions and Geo-Spatial Analysis of Water Quality and Individual Health Status in a High-Fracking Region

Attitudes, Perceptions, and Geospatial Analysis of Water Quality and Individual Health Status in a High-Fracking Region

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