Unconventional Oil and Gas Spills: Risks, Mitigation Priorities, and State Reporting Requirements

Patterson, Lauren A.; Konschnik, Katherine E.; Wiseman, Hannah Jacobs; Fargione, Joseph; Maloney, Kelly O.; Kiesecker, Joseph M.; Nicot, Jean‐Philippe; Baruch‐Mordo, Sharon; Entrekin, Sally A.; Trainor, Anne M.; Saiers, James E.

doi:10.1021/acs.est.6b05749

Cited by 116 publications

(77 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…; Patterson et al. ). Collecting historical reservoir levels and OTs provides a means for systematically assessing operational departures as a means of evaluating reservoir performance over time.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Nationwide Analysis of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Reservoir Performance in Meeting Operational Targets

Patterson

Doyle

2018

J American Water Resour Assoc

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The United States (U.S.) Army Corps of Engineers operates reservoirs across the U.S. with 89% of reservoirs constructed prior to 1980. Many reservoirs have experienced changes in environmental conditions (e.g., climate and sediment yield) and societal conditions (e.g., water/energy demand and ecological flows) since construction. These changes may challenge the potential for reservoirs to meet their operational targets (OTs) (management goals). Historic daily reservoir data and OTs were collected for 233 reservoirs. Analyses were developed to identify when and where reservoirs may be systematically departing from OTs in terms of the frequency and magnitude of departure. Fifty‐six percent of reservoirs consistently met operating targets, 30% were borderline, and 13% experienced frequent and large magnitude departures. Fifty‐two percent of reservoirs with large departures were due to shortages and were located in the South Pacific and Southwestern divisions. This work provides a framework to identify reservoir performance in relation to management goals, a necessary step for moving toward adaptive management under changing conditions. All individual reservoir analyses are provided via an interactive data visualization tool: https://nicholasinstitute.duke.edu/reservoir-data.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Nationwide Analysis of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Reservoir Performance in Meeting Operational Targets

Patterson

Doyle

2018

J American Water Resour Assoc

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“…This equates to almost a 1 in 10 chance of surface water contamination at any drilled well over this period. This study considered only a short period of data, but these are assumed to capture the likelihood of contamination over the life of the well, because they capture the initial period of the well's life when spills are most likely to occur Patterson et al 2017).…”

Section: Methods Of Quantificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards Quantifying the Likelihood of Water Resource Impacts from Unconventional Gas Development

2018

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Gas production from unconventional reservoirs has led to widespread environmental concerns. Despite several excellent reviews of various potential impacts to water resources from unconventional gas production, no study has systematically and quantitatively assessed the potential for these impacts to occur. We use empirical evidence and numerical and analytical models to quantify the likelihood of surface water and groundwater contamination, and shallow aquifer depletion from unconventional gas developments. These likelihoods are not intended to be exact. They provide a starting point for comparing the probabilities of adverse impacts between types of water resources and pathways. This analysis provides much needed insight into what are "probable" rather than simply "possible" impacts. The results suggest that the most likely water resource impacts are surface water and groundwater contamination from spills at the well pad, which can be as high as 1 in 10 and 1 in 100 for each gas well, respectively. For wells that are hydraulically fractured, the likelihood of contamination due to inter-aquifer leakage is 1 in 10 or lower (dependent on the separation distance between the production formation and the aquifer). For gas-bearing formations that were initially over-pressurized, the potential for contamination from inter-aquifer leakage after production ceases could be as high as 1 in 400 where the separation between gas formation and shallow aquifer is 500 m, but will be much lower for greater separation distances (more characteristic of shale gas).

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“…Baseline data is needed in order to monitor changes resulting from the UO&G activities. Regular long-term monitoring ensures the timely detection of leaks after the well has been abandoned so that remediation efforts can quickly be put in place (Patterson et al 2017;Maloney et al 2017). Such monitoring programs could include effectdirected analysis (Brack et al 2017;Venkatesan and Halden 2015).…”

Section: Monitoring and Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

How to Adapt Chemical Risk Assessment for Unconventional Hydrocarbon Extraction Related to the Water System

Faber

Annevelink

Gilissen

et al. 2017

Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology Volume 246

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We identify uncertainties and knowledge gaps of chemical risk assessment related to unconventional drillings and propose adaptations. We discuss how chemical risk assessment in the context of unconventional oil and gas (UO&G) activities differs from conventional chemical risk assessment and the implications for existing legislation. A UO&G suspect list of 1,386 chemicals that might be expected in the UO&G water samples was prepared which can be used for LC-HRMS suspect screening. We actualize information on reported concentrations in UO&G-related water. Most information relates to shale gas operations, followed by coal-bed methane, while only little is available for tight gas and conventional gas. The limited research on conventional oil and gas recovery hampers comparison whether risks related to unconventional activities are in fact higher than those related to conventional activities. No study analyzed the whole cycle from fracturing fluid, flowback and produced water, and surface water and groundwater. Generally target screening has been used, probably missing contaminants of concern. Almost half of the organic compounds analyzed in surface water and groundwater exceed TTC values, so further risk assessment is needed, and risks cannot be waived. No specific exposure scenarios toward groundwater aquifers exist for UO&G-related activities. Human errors in various stages of the life cycle of UO&G production play an important role in the exposure. Neither at the international level nor at the US federal and the EU levels, specific regulations for UO&G-related activities are in place to protect environmental and human health. UO&G activities are mostly regulated through general environmental, spatial planning, and mining legislation.

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Unconventional Oil and Gas Spills: Risks, Mitigation Priorities, and State Reporting Requirements

Cited by 116 publications

References 17 publications

A Nationwide Analysis of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Reservoir Performance in Meeting Operational Targets

A Nationwide Analysis of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Reservoir Performance in Meeting Operational Targets

Towards Quantifying the Likelihood of Water Resource Impacts from Unconventional Gas Development

How to Adapt Chemical Risk Assessment for Unconventional Hydrocarbon Extraction Related to the Water System

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