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Impacts of Gas Drilling on Water Resources

Impacts of Gas Drilling on Water Resources . Susan Riha Director, NYS Water Resources Institute. Outline. Impacts on gas well drilling on water resources Gas wells in New York and the Marcellus shale Regulatoryissues Larger context. Outline.

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Impacts of Gas Drilling on Water Resources

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  1. Impacts of Gas Drilling on Water Resources Susan Riha Director, NYS Water Resources Institute

  2. Outline • Impacts on gas well drilling on water resources • Gas wells in New York and the Marcellus shale • Regulatoryissues • Larger context

  3. Outline • Impacts on gas well drilling on water resources • Conventional versus unconventional gas wells

  4. What is Unconventional Gas? Gas that was previously uneconomical to exploit In many cases due to low permeability of formation containing gas

  5. Surface construction Drilling thru groundwater Disposal of drilling muds and cuttings How are water resources impacted? Why added concern about unconventional gas?

  6. Surface construction- “SWPPP” Muds and cuttings- pits

  7. Hydrofracing How are water resources impacted? Why added concern about unconventional gas?

  8. Outline • Impacts on gas well drilling on water resources • Conventional versus unconventional gas wells • Gas wells in New York and the Marcellus shale • Why are there gas wells in New York? • Where is the Marcellus shale located? • How important is it?

  9. Mountain belts and foreland basins • Carbonate shelf forms on passive continental margin • Moving igneous arc creates foreland basin and provides sediments • Foreland basin fills with fine textured sediments deposited in marine environments (flysch), with deepest formations being black shales as organic matter accumulates under anoxic conditions • Foreland basin then fills with coarser sediments deposited in alluvial fans and floodplains on terrestrial surfaces (molasse) • At this point, land is again a passive margin

  10. 3 Paleozoic Orogenies • Taconic (Ordovician/Silurian) • Carbonate platform: Trenton-Black River Group • Black shale: Utica • Molasse: Medina sand formation (1883 Eerie County, 1886 Chautauqua County) • Acadian (Devonian) • Carbonate platform: Helderberg Group (Onondaga) • Shallow beach: Oriskany sandstone (1930 Schuyler County) • Black shale: Marcellus • Flysch: Hamilton group • Alleghanian (Carboniferous)

  11. Trenton-Black River Fortuna leases

  12. Outline • Impacts on gas well drilling on water resources • Conventional versus unconventional gas wells • Gas wells in New York and the Marcellus shale • Why are there gas wells in New York? • Where is the Marcellus shale located? • How important is it? • Regulatory issues • Why is 2005 Energy Bill contentious? • Where are we at with the SEQR process? • Who controls water withdrawals, disposal and storm water runoff?

  13. Federal Legislation • OPEC oil embargo in 1973 leads to substantially greater fossil fuel prices • Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978 provides incentive to explore for more gas • Clean Water Act 1972 • No point source (including gas wells) discharge of pollutants to surface waters without a discharge permit • Water Quality Act 1987 • Requires discharge permits for stormwater runoff from construction sites and municipal separate stormwater systems (MS4s) • Safe Water Drinking Act 1972 • EPA to regulate underground injection wells to protect groundwater • Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) 1994, 1997 • Enacted after Bhopal incident and applies to manufacturing sector, but oil and gas industry not included.

  14. 2005 Energy Bill • Section 322 • Based on a 2004 EPA study, hydrofracing is exempted for the Safe Drinking Water Act • Supporters argue for need to protect gas companies from massive lawsuits • Critics argue that this leaves individuals and municipalities with no recourse if wells are contaminated • Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) proposed a bill last year to repeal this exemption. • Section 323 • Provides an exemption for oil and gas companies from the Clean Water Act for their activities surrounding oil and gas drilling • May 3, 2008, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit released a decision vacating the permitting exemption for discharges of sediment from oil and gas construction activities that contribute to violations of the CWA

  15. New York State Positions • Safe Drinking Water Act: “Protection of groundwater resources during oil and gas extraction activities is a responsibility of state government. The cited federal amendment in no way hampers or denigrates the Department's authority over oil and gas well development in New York, including oversight of hydraulic fracturing activities to ensure protection of groundwater resources.” • Clean Water Act: “The federal exemption never hindered the Department's authority to require appropriate erosion and sedimentation controls at all well sites, regardless of their size.” • Community Right-to-Know Act: “Neither the fact that a formula may be considered proprietary, nor that the fact that EPCRA does not apply to the oil and gas extraction sector, prevents the Department from requiring that the information be submitted.”

  16. SEQR Process • An action is subject to review under SEQR if any state or local agency has the authority to issue a permit, license or other type of approval for that action. • Requires the sponsoring or approving governmental body to identify and mitigate the significant environmental impacts of the activity it is permitting • Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS) developed in the 1980’s that identifies and mitigates the environmental impacts of gas well drilling • Does not consider horizontal hydrofracing • Does not consider cumulative impacts of gas well drilling • Aug. 2008 Governor imposes moratorium on gas well drilling in Marcellus shale and requires an sGEIS • Scoping document • Draft sGEIS

  17. Issues for SGEIS • Cumulative impacts of water withdrawals and how to regulate to maintain ecosystem services (SRBC) • Testing of drinking wells to address possible contamination • More stringent setbacks from wetlands, streams, municipal water supplies • Disposal of flowback and produced water • Use of closed systems to minimize exposure and contamination • Regulations regarding treatment in municipal wastewater treatment plants and release to surface waters • Feasibility of underground injection • Reuse of frac water • Large spacing units (640 acres) with multiple well bores per construction pad

  18. Controls on Water • Susquehanna River Basin Commission: • Permits all water withdrawals in SRB • States will deal with SWPP and water disposal • Delaware River Basin Commission: • Permits water withdrawals in DRB (except NYC watershed) and could permit water disposal • New York City Watersheds • Controlled by NYC DEP • No gas drilling will be permitted? • Great Lakes Basin Compact / DEC • Restricts water withdrawals, inter basin transfer of water

  19. Outline • Impacts on gas well drilling on water resources • Conventional versus unconventional gas wells • Gas wells in New York and the Marcellus shale • Why are there gas wells in New York? • Where is the Marcellus shale located? • How important is it? • Regulatory issues • Why is 2005 Energy Bill contentious? • Where are we at with the SEQR process? • Who controls water withdrawals, disposal and storm water runoff? • Larger Issues • Global warming and the need to mitigate GHG emissions • How does use of water for hydrofracing compare to other uses?

  20. Global warming and the need to mitigate GHG emissions • Should we exploit unconventional fossil fuel resources rather than move directly to renewables? • Compared to the average air emissions from coal-fired generation, natural gas produces half as much carbon dioxide, less than a third as much nitrogen oxides, and one percent as much sulphur oxides at the power plant.

  21. How does use of water for hydrofracing compare to other uses? • SRBC consumptive use data • 563 mgd currently approved for consumptive use • 58% diverted out of basin; 250 mgd to City of Baltimore • 26% for power generation (37% nuclear, 31% coal, 15% natural gas); currently 146 mgd • Estimate 28 mgd for hydrofracing, about half the amount currently used by recreation sector • SRBC projects that by 2025 energy sector will increase consumptive water use by 134 mgd, not including Marcellus shale • Scrubbers on typical power plant consume 4-5 mgd • Power plant upgrades can require 30 mgd • SRBC permits withdrawals of 3.44 bgd by energy industry

  22. Discussion topics • Other larger issues • Conflicts within stakeholder groups • Regulatory agencies • Landowners • Environmentalists • Role of researchers/educators

  23. wri.eas.cornell.edu web page and blog site

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