Fracking & Water Quality 101

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Water Quality 101: Fracking Matters

Orianna Carter, Associate Professor OUSMolecular Biologist and Environmentalist

Ohio Environmental Council Forum, 02.05.2013 Athens, Ohio

Photo Spencer Platt, Getty Images.

Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC)

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UNITED STATES DROUGHT 2012 HuffPost Green Editors

Presented by Dr. Orianna Carter

“The 2012 Drought gripped the USA as the widest since 1956“, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Over 55% of continental U.S. experienced moderate to extreme drought by July.

AP Photo by M. HutmacherThe Wichita Eagle,

+Midwest Drought – 7/26

Dead fish float in a drying pond near Rock Port, MO. Multitudes of fish are dying in the midwest as the sizzling summer dries up rivers and raises water temperatures in some spots to nearly 100°F.

AP Photo/Nati Harnik

Calumet, OK

+Noblesville, IN 7/16

Boats sit on the bottom of a dry cove at Morse Reservoir, down 6’ and lowering by 1’ per 5 days in efforts to provide water for drought-ridden Indianapolis.

AP Photo/Michael Conroy

+England, AK 7/27

The USDA granted a disaster declaration for 69 of Arkansas' 75 counties due to the drought.

AP Photo/Danny Johnston

+PRINCETON, IN – 7/17 Drought-damaged corn

The corn and soybean belt is experiencing one of the worst droughts in more than five decades.

Photo S. Olson/Getty Images

70% of Illinois, the nation's number two corn producing state, was classified as experiencing drought.

Over 10 days of triple digit temperatures with little rain over 2 months forced many farmers to call 2012 a total loss.

+Waltonville, IL 7/16

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn (with Farm Bureau Pres. Philip Nelson, R) says the state will offer an array of debt restructuring and loan programs to farmers and ranchers affected by the drought.

AP Photo/Jim Suhr

+Water as a Sustainable Resource Fresh water is needed for human consumption, crop irrigation,

animal stock and forestry

Communities bear the burden of water contamination clean up, which costs many millions of taxpayer dollars.

Understaffed EPA struggles to resolve toxic waste seepage at 30,000 superfund sites which threaten our water supply

Limited supply with the nation’s aquifers being depleted in some areas by overuse

Climate Change

None of these problems are addressed by the gas industry which will be exacerbating each critical status

Temperatures in the contiguous United States last year were the hottest in more than a century of record-keeping, shattering the mark set in 1998 by a wide margin, the federal government announced Tuesday. 1/8/13 Washington Post, Juliet Eilperin

+What is a Watershed?

Watershed: An area of land where all the water located within it drains into

a common waterway. Includes groundwater and surface water

Ohio Watershed Management (monitor, protect, restore): Headwaters - low regulation, high environmental sensitivity Middle reaches - human impact is significant Lakes - sediment & toxicity vulnerability Wetlands - filtering sponges, now protected in Ohio Ohio River & Lake Erie

States are required to place their assessed waters in one of five categories, as follows:

CategoryDescription1 All designated uses (DU) met2 Some, but not all, DUs met3 Can not determine if any DUs met4 Impaired/threatened - TMDL not needed4a TMDL completed4b TMDL alternative4c Non-pollutant causes5 Impaired/threatened by pollutant -

TMDL needed, * Also known as the 303(d) list

Can view MYWATERS Mapper through EPA at:http://www.epa.gov/waters/enviromapper/index.html

Ogallala Aquifer is one of the world's great aquifers, but is being rapidly depleted in places by growing municipal and continued agricultural use. Ogallala contains primarily fossil water from the time of the last glaciation. Annual recharge, in the more arid parts of the aquifer, is estimated to total only 10% of annual depletion.

Ohio has abundant ground water resources. Avg. rainfall 30-44” per yr. Infiltration of 3-16” re- charges our aquifers.

CONE

KS

WY

TX

Nature study, published by researchers at McGill and Utrecht University in the Netherlands, offers a map showing the regions where the use of water from these aquifers vastly exceeds the rate at which they’re being refilled by rain.

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Hydraulic Fracking Matters

NYC - JANUARY 11.2012Held on the City Hall steps, protestors called for an end to controversial gas drilling in growing alarm that contamination of NY aquifers would poison its public drinking water..

Photo S. Platt, Getty

shale rock

+Hydraulic Fracturing Ohio has 80,000 fractured wells, under the

jurisdiction of ODNR, DMRM, and pertaining statutes contained in Chapter 1509 of the Ohio Revised Code (ORC). These laws were amended with Senate Bill 165, which became effective on June 30, 2010.

Millions of gallons of high-pressure, chemical-laden water are pumped into an underground shale to free up natural gas.

Once fractures have been opened up in the rock and the water pressure is allowed to abate, internal pressure from the rock causes fracking fluids to rise back to the surface, what the natural gas industry calls "flowback”, a briny mixture of minerals. 

Under the authority granted in Section 1509.32, any person adversely affected may file a written complaint with the chief. Although this section specifically addresses restoration violations, it is broadly applied for all violation. Division procedures require staff to address all complaints. A complaint may be received in writing, by e-mail, via phone, or in person. Complaints are logged and tracked in an electronic log. Reports are maintained within the DMRM Risk Based Data Management System (RBDMS) and/or a hard copy complaint file. When water samples are collected and analyzed, analytical information is maintained (LIMS data), in the DMRM RBDMS-Water (RBDMS-W) data management system.

+Mineral Extraction

3 Fossil Fuels: Coal Petroleum Natural Gas

Marcellus Shale – major natural gas reservoir

This industry is impacting our environment and waterways

+Natural Gas Drilling became a major

occurrence throughout the

21st century Hydraulic Fracturing:

used to extract the natural

gas from shale rock below

the surface Water is pumped into the

rock to crack it and free the gas

In 2008, PA neighboring residents noticed a different taste in their water Due to higher TDS levels and chlorine reacting with bromide from

the frackwater, created hazardous gases Frackwater contains toxic metals including bromine, strontium,

barium, manganese and radium, is 10x saltier than ocean water and contains released radioactive decay products of uranium

www.anga.us

+Fracking requires 5 million gallons of water a ‘handful of times’ per well

1000’s Chemicals, still unknown, include benzene, toluene and

radioisotopes

Internal documents provide evidence concrete failure rates are 6-7% in new

drilled wells

Regulatory agencies cited (Clean Air and Clean Water Acts; Safe Drinking

Water Acts have limited powers

EPA environmental assessments are only on federal land, not yours

Benefits of low water usage & clean air statistics referenced to coal fired

plants, not renewable energy sourceswww.anga.us

+ Industry Response to Opponents Will disclose all chemicals used?

Trade-secrets exempt from disclosure; harmful contaminants (heavy metals, radioactive material)) released to the surface.

Optimizing the rules? Well casings known to fail over time as concrete degrades and pollutants

leak into ecosystem, though new rules reduce well failure rates from 20 to 30 yrs.

Minimizing/protecting groundwater, ensuring waste disposal? “Solutions” include injecting flammable propane gel instead of water into

wells. 30 to 70% fracking wastes stays deep below ground, where fluid flow and displaced brines are associated with earth tremors. Remaining wastewater contaminants create risk to underground drinking water.

Reducing the impact on roads, ecosystems and communities? 1,000s truckloads per well –damaging infrastructure, turning rural

communities into industrial sites. When industry leaves town, communities will be left with the legacy of pollution.

+11/30/11: Environ. Conservation Hydro Fracking NYC Hearing 4/25/12: NYC Hydraulic Fracturing Prevention Press Conf.

Photo by Dipasupil, Getty Images

Nationwide, residents living near fracked gas wells have filed 1,000s of complaints regarding tainted water, severe illnesses, livestock deaths, and fish kills, property devaluation

Mark Ruffalo urges legislation for protection of the drinking water source of 15 million citizens.

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Josh Fox’s documentaries, the Academy nominated 'Gasland’ and ‘The Sky is Pink,’ target hydro-fracking and the EPA.

  In “Some Fracking Critics Use Bad Science”, Kevin Begos misrepresents existing facts and makes a common error by putting the burden of proof on the victims of industry rather than requiring that industry answer all questions necessary to prove that hydrofracking is safe. -NYS Breast Cancer Network

+The Sky Is Pink – Separating Fact from Fiction: Linking Fracking to Health Risks Colorado School of Public Health study showed drilling and

fracking operations release benzene into air at levels known to elevate cancer risk.   http://www.erierising.com/human-health-risk-assessment-of-air-emissions-from-development-of-unconventional-natural-gas-resources/

35 different air pollutants act as breast carcinogens in animal studies   Rudel RA, et al., ‘Chemicals causing mammary gland tumors in

animals signal new directions for epidemiology, chemicals testing, and risk assessment for breast cancer prevention.’ Cancer. 2007, 109(S12):2635-66.

Benzene’s links to breast cancer, ‘Identifying Gaps in Breast Cancer Research: Addressing Disparities and the Roles of the Physical and Social Environment’.  http://www.cbcrp.org/sri/reports/identifyinggaps/GAPS_full.pdf

+The burden of proof is on the nation’s citizens

Linking earthquake incidence to Hydrofracking:

OK, TX - Senior Research Scientist, Cliff Frohlich, U Texas, Institute Geophysics and USGS Seismologist, Oliver Boyd, concurred that the latest string of Texas earthquakes show intense activity at fracking epicenters and these events are not coincidental.

Data published on August 6, 2012 in Journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Linking groundwater pollution to Hydrofracking:

WY - EPA’s analysis of deep monitoring wells in aquifers show synthetic chemicals (glycols and alcohols), consistent with gas production and hydraulic fracturing fluids, benzene concentrations well above Safe Drinking Water Act standards, and high methane levels.

PRESTON, LANCASHIRE – 10/07/11

Engineers on the drilling platform of the Cuadrilla shale fracking facility. The controversial method has been blamed for two minor earthquakes in the surrounding region.

+Fracking Linked to Earthquakes

Oklahoma’s strongest recorded quake was in 2011, along with 180 minor tremors in TX occurred 10/08 thru 5/09.

Seismologist Cliff Frohlich at U Tex-Austin analyzed seismic activity in shale in northern Texas and identified epicenters for 67 earthquakes — more than 8X as many as reported by the National Earthquake Information Center — with magnitudes of 3.0 or less located within a few miles of one or more injection wells.

All of the wells nearest the epicenters reported high rates of injection exceeding 150,000 barrels (17.6 million liters) of water per month.

Data published on August 6, 2012 in Journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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EPA's Water Contamination Investigation Halted In Texas After Range Resources Protest Assoc. Press By RAMIT PLUSHNICK-MASTI 01/16/2013

• 2010-Fort Worth, TX: Reported drinking water "bubbling”, federal government issued rare emergency order - homeowners were in immediate danger from wells saturated with flammable methane. As the case went to court, EPA hired a scientist to perform tests which linked nearby drilling activities to contaminated water.• 2012-EPA rescinded order, against their own compiled

scientific evidence (confidential reports & interviews obtained by Assoc. Press).

• Representing Range Resources, Attorney, D. Poole informed EPA officials in DC if EPA pursued a "scientifically baseless" action against them, Range Resources would refuse access to their drilling site for a national study on effects of hydraulic fracking.

• 2011- WY: EPA again linked hydraulic fracturing operations to water contamination and then softened its position after industry & GOP protested.• In both cases, EPA refused to answer questions, stating it was

shifting its “focus away from litigation and toward a joint effort on the science and safety of energy extraction.”

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Costs to owner of the contaminated TX well: $1,000/month to haul safe water.

Another scientist investigating the TX contamination, Rob Jackson, Global Environment Change, Duke U., stated EPA’s withdrawal was unusual as the gas could have originated from nearby gas extractions in the Barnett shale. Range Resources responded that isotopic testing is invalid, can’t

distinguish shale gas from other rock formations and natural gas migration. Range Resources insists happening since long before they arrived. Jackson

noted it’s "unrealistic" to suggest people could have tainted water and not notice.

Range Resources accused all individuals whose investigations linked their drilling activities to the contaminated wells as ‘anti-industry’.

+Disturbing Responses to Fracking

Nationwide: 1st major U.S. insurer to announce it won’t cover fracking damage. According to internal memos, "We have determined that the exposures presented by hydraulic fracturing are too great to ignore.”

Global Water: Oil and Gas Summit, Dubai 2012, water industry declares fracking will be the largest sector for profiting – a multi-billion dollar market. Companies make money both ends:

selling water to drillers treating the toxic wastewater.

Financial services industry: in on the action of trading polluted water!

+Protests in Ohio – ecowatch.org Nov. 28, 2012: ODNR Public hearing request on proposed Athens

County, Atha Class II injection well permit, by 50+ community members inside an “open house” information forum was denied. Fracking waste dump into Class II wells (highly toxic toluene,

benzene, and other neurotoxic, carcinogenic, and radioactive substances), regulated as hazardous (except oil & gas) under the Safe Drinking Water Act, Clean Water Act and hazardous waste regulations.”

ACFAN (Athens County Fracking Action Network) 100,000,000s gallons of highly radioactive fracking waste have been injected in Ohio injection wells in the past year. Nancy Pierce states, “Ohio does not monitor drinking or groundwater around any Class II injection wells.”

Energy in Depth Ohio website, 11/30/13: “ODNR’s event was a positive opportunity for citizens around Athens County to learn more about Class II injection wells, and submit comments for public record.  With only 30 people entering the building with no intention of gaining knowledge on the subject, it’s clear there is a strong number of people in the Athens area eager to learn more about injection wells and the growing oil and gas industry in Ohio.”

+30,000,000,000,000 gals of waste water injected underground in USA

"In 10 to 100 years we are going to find out that most of our groundwater is polluted," said Mario Salazar, an engineer who worked for 25 years as a technical expert with the EPA's underground injection program in Washington. "A lot of people are going to get sick, and a lot of people may die.”

A ProPublica review of well records, case histories and government summaries of more than 220,000 well inspections found that structural failures inside injection wells are routine. From late 2007 to late 2010, one well integrity violation was issued for every six deep injection wells examined — more than 17,000 violations nationally.

‘THE POISON BENEATH US’

+How to Cope With Hydrofracking in Your Neighborhood?

Check your water quality, often.

Know where your meat comes from.

Keep masks in your house in case air quality is low during high hydro-fracking activity.

Be earthquake ready.

Move.

WikiHow

Source: ALLARM Shale Gas Monitoring Manual

+Taking Action, Keeping Safe Routinely run tests on tap water using test kits.

Record baselines into data system.

Remarkable values should be retested by a laboratory for a detailed analysis.

Consider testing water sources surrounding residential homes using hand held meters and/or test kits provided by certified laboratory.

Record detailed water data and report anything significant to EPA.

Seek remedial efforts through local water company notifications and/or independently for private water supplies.

Contact Advocacy Groups.

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Water Quality: Describes the health of a water body based

on chemical, biological, and physical characteristics

Two types of pollution:

Point-source pollution Nonpoint-source pollution

Causes of Water Quality Change

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Section 1509.22 Ohio Revised Code gives authority to require an owner/operator of an oil/gas well to replace a water supply substantially disrupted by contamination, diminution or interruption resulting from oil and gas operation.

Water well log records or call ODNR 614-265-6740 www.ohiodnr.com/water/maptechs/wellogs/appNEW/

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+Conductivity

Measure of the water’s ability to conduct an electrical current

Depends directly on the amount of total dissolved solids (TDS) in the water Example: Saltwater has a higher conductivity than distilled

water

High levels alter the smell and taste of drinking water

Causes gastrointestinal problems for humans

Harmful for agriculture when used for irrigation

+Total Dissolved Solids - TDS

Dissolved inorganic & organic substances, acceptable levels for human drinking water is 100 mg/l

Major Contributors: Bicarbonate, Calcium, Silica, Chlorine, Magnesium, Phosphate organic based: detergents, disinfectants, pesticides, petroleum,

industrial solvents inorganic based: fertilizers, NH3, chemical plant waste, pH change,

urban run-off

TDS levels can indicate increased levels of toxic substances

Gives water a salty or metallic taste

Usually calculated from conductivity using a conversion factor Ranges from 0.54-0.96

+How to monitor your tap water?

Test early to establish a baseline for certain markers of tap water, stream or watershed health. Document location, time, date.

Drilling wastewater includes salty brine and metals - take pH and conductivity readings when collecting samples.

Collecting baseline data will make it easier to connect pollution to a new well. The goal of monitoring is to collect a year’s worth of readings before any wells are drilled nearby.

Measuring of two indicators - conductivity and TDS – which rise dramatically when streams are contaminated with fracking wastewater.

Record your data. If those numbers triple, that amounts to a problem.

High levels need to be sent to a laboratory for further testing. For oil/gas drilling, these might include: chlorides, sodium, barium, lead, pH, corrosion index, strontium, dissolved

methane

+ Collecting Samples For Lab Analysis

Microbes - Use sterile containers provided by testing laboratory. Samples must reach the lab within 36 hrs. Do not to rinse containers because most contain preservatives.

Minerals/Chemicals - Run tap 5-10 min, then collect 1 quart “raw” water (bypass water treatment) using scrubbed (phosphate-free detergent) and 3x rinsed plastic or glass container. Get samples to lab within 2 wks.

If testing corrosion, let water stand overnight, don’t run for 5-10 min.

Special care for organics - Volatile, do not aerate. Run water 5-10 min, carefully collect from partially closed faucet in slow steady, non-aerated stream of water. Hold sample bottle at angle. Fill bottle completely, cover, and invert bottle to check for air bubbles. If present, retake sample. Take sample to laboratory in person or use an overnight mail service.

OEPA stores statewide ambient natural ground water data, & health implications for each chemical: http://water.epa.gov/drink/contaminants/basicinformation/index.cfm

+Finding Laboratory Test Facilities Link to a water analysis interpretive tool:

www.ndsu.edu/waterquality

National Testing Laboratories: http://www.ntllabs.com/residential.html

State Certified Laboratories: http://water.epa.gov/scitech/drinkingwater/labcert/statecertification

.cfm

Voinovich School & Russ College of Engineering Institute for Sustainable Energy and the Environment Laboratory

Sierra Club of Ohio, Clean Water Program

Local health districts or soil and water conservation offices

+Laboratory Water Sample Parameters - Analysis of Physical and Chemical

Tier I - $170.00 Barium, Cl, Mg, K, Na, Stromium, S, TDS,

Conductivity, Bromide

Tier II - $229.00 Tier I plus Ca, hardness, alkalinity, pH, Fe, Mn,

Bromide

Tier III - $344.00 Tier I & II plus BTEX (benzene, toluene, xylene, ethylbenzene,

methane) VOC (Volatile Organics)

*Recommended by Am. Assoc. of Pediatrics be performed regularly before and during oil/gas drilling

+Test Strips & MetersHand-held meters

Order strips from:Omega.com

Features

• Measures conductivity, TDS, salinity, and temperature• 8 selectable unit: µS, mS, ppm, ppt, mg/L, g/L, °C and °F• Adjustable Conductivity to TDS ratio factor from 0.4 to

1.0• Large 3-1/2 digit display w/analog bar graph indicating

trends• Data Hold, Auto Power off and low battery indication• Automatic Temperature Compensation of 2% per degree• Simultaneous display of Conductivity or TDS plus

Temperature• Internal memory stores up to 15 readings for easy recall• Self calibration of electronics on power up• Easy to replace Conductivity cell module• Waterproof to IP57• Starting at $104.99• Kit option available (savings of $15)

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+OEPA Environmental Laboratory Services Athens County Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

(740) 385-8501 http:// www.epa.state.oh.us/sedo/x_athens.htm.

ODNR’s Div. of Mineral Resources Management mission to regulate, restore and protect requires regular laboratory analysis of samples to monitor the safety of Ohio's citizens and environment. The DMRM operates the Ohio EPA Drinking Water certified laboratories.

OEPA 24-hr emergency response hotline 1-800-282-9378 Accidental or unauthorized releases of contaminants to

the air, land or water such as spills, releases, intentional dumping or emissions.

+ Water Quality Resources Advocacy Groups:

Environmental Working Group: www.ewg.org Citizens Campaignwww.citizenscampaign.org

/campaigns/hydro-fracking.asp Center for Health, Environment & Justice:

http://chej.org/nofracking/ohio/ Ohio Chapter Sierra Club to join water monitoring:

[email protected] [email protected]

Local resource for Athens water stream health- MYWATERS Mapper: http://www.epa.gov/myenv/myenview2.html?minx=-82.

19627&miny=39.29499&maxx=-82.00573&maxy=39.36271&ve=12,39.32850,-82.10444&pSearch=Athens,%20OH

+Taking Action, Keeping Safe Routinely run tests on tap water using test kits.

Record baselines into data system.

Remarkable values should be retested by a laboratory for a detailed analysis.

Consider testing water sources surrounding residential homes using hand held meters and/or test kits provided by certified laboratory.

Record detailed water data and report anything significant to EPA.

Seek remedial efforts through local water company notifications and/or independently for private water supplies.

Contact Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources, EPA, advocacy groups.

+Dr. Carter’s Resources Josh Fox - http://www.gaslandthemovie.com/blog/?p=119

USGS Science School - http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/gwdepletion.html

Alliance Aquatic Resource Monitoring (ALLARM), Dickinson College, PA

River Alert Information Network (RAIN) - www.3rain.org/education

Mitchell, M. et al., “Field Manual For Water Quality Monitoring” 1994

American Natural Gas Alliance - www.anga.us

Ohio EPA – www.epa.state.oh.us/

HuffingtonPost - Green editors

“The Poison Beneath Us”, Pro-Publica, 6-12-12

Citizens Campaign http://www.citizenscampaign.org/campaigns/hydro-fracking.asp

Sierra Club Ohio Chapter http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sierra-Club-Ohio-Chapter/342322600532