Water Quality And Natural Gas Production: A Tale Of Two Shale
Osborn, Stephen 1
1 Cal Poly Pomona
Hydraulic fracturing and directional drilling technologies have significantly expanded natural gas production from organic-rich shale formations in the US and worldwide. In fact, the United States Energy Information Administration predicts that the US will become a net natural gas exporter by 2020 and that the growth of energy production will surpass the growth of energy demands through 2040. Environmental concerns have grown in parallel, not only where there has been historic production (i.e., Pennsylvania and Colorado), but also in new areas that are targeted for exploration (i.e., North Carolina). While there is a lack of published scientific data that thoroughly address potential environmental risks, some important comparisons can be made for understanding fluid flow in different geologic systems. This talk will discuss potential environmental impacts to shallow groundwater, associated with intensive natural gas extraction from the Marcellus organic-rich shale in northeast Pennsylvania (Marcellus Shale) and recent results in Colorado (Niobrara Shale).