Presenter: Prof. Joe Ryan, University of Colorado Boulder, Environmental Engineering, AirWaterGas Sustainability Research Network, www.airwatergas.org
28 slide

Ryan, Joseph N.

English

Colorado Law

University of Colorado Law School Colorado Law Scholarly Commons Water and Air Quality Issues in Oil and Gas Development: The Evolving Framework of Regulation and Management (Martz Summer Conference, June 5-6) 2014 6-5-2014 SLIDES: What We Know (and Don’t Know) about the Effects of Oil and Gas Development on Water Quality Joseph N. Ryan Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.law.colorado.edu/water-and-air-quality-issues-in-oil-and-gas-development  Part of the Energy and Utilities Law Commons, Environmental Health and Protection Commons, Environmental Law Commons, Environmental Public Health Commons, Hydraulic Engineering Commons, Natural Resource Economics Commons, Natural Resources Law Commons, Oil, Gas, and Energy Commons, Oil, Gas, and Mineral Law Commons, Science and Technology Law Commons, and the Water Law Commons Citation Information Ryan, Joseph N., "SLIDES: What We Know (and Don’t Know) about the Effects of Oil and Gas Development on Water Quality" (2014). Water and Air Quality Issues in Oil and Gas Development: The Evolving Framework of Regulation and Management (Martz Summer Conference, June 5-6). https://scholar.law.colorado.edu/water-and-air-quality-issues-in-oil-and-gas-development/12 Reproduced with permission of the Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources, Energy, and the Environment (formerly the Natural Resources Law Center) at the University of Colorado Law School. What We Know (and Don’t Know) about the Effects of Oil and Gas Development on Water Quality Martz Conference, June 5-6, 2014 Prof. Joe Ryan University of Colorado Boulder Environmental Engineering AirWaterGas Sustainability Research Network www.airwatergas.org source receptor pathway ? source http://www.propublica.org/article/epa-chemicals- found-in-wyo.-drinking-water-might-be-from-fracking-825 Is water quality at risk? source receptor pathway source (a release of a hazardous  compound) receptor pathway source (release of a hazardous  compound) receptor (humans using groundwater supply) pathway source (release of a hazardous  compound) receptor (humans using groundwater supply) pathway (transport of  hazardous compound to receptor) source receptor pathway potential risk Possible and Probable Pathways  Surface spills  possible surface water contamination  possible groundwater contamination  remediation – sometimes prompt, sometimes not  Weld County, July 2010-June 2011  77 spills involving benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes  84% remediated by May 2012  Possible and Probable Pathways  Probability of surface spills    Pspill :  probability of a spill – 0.1 to 0.5  frequency of spills (all known and reported?)  number of sites (active or total?)  ffluids spilled : fraction of fluid spilled – 0.0001 to 1  reported volume of spills   spill spill fluids spilled fluidsonsiteV P f V  Possible and Probable Pathways  Subsurface releases  possible groundwater contamination  scenarios  well casing integrity  abandoned wells  existing faults and fractures  etc.  groundwater flow and transport modeling  EPA  AWG SRN  groundwater sampling Osborn et al., 2011. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 108(20), 8172-8176 www.niobraranews.net/geology/ Possible and Probable Pathways  Probability of subsurface release by well failure    Pwell failure :  probability of casing failure – 10-8 to 0.02  what is failure?  how to measure failure?  ffluids released : fraction of fluid released – 10-6 to 0.1  what is the severity of the failure?   release well failure fluidsreleased fluidsinjectedV P f V  Possible and Probable Pathways  Probability of subsurface release by fractures    Pfractures :  probability of fractures as pathway                  – 10-6 to 0.1  need more data, field and modeling!    1release fractures fluidsreleased fluidsinjected returnedV P f V f   “Will I be able to drink the water from my well?” “The probability that your well will be contaminated   is somewhere between 0.55 and 10,350 in a million.” “Will I be able to drink the water from my well?” “Maybe.” “Will I be able to drink the water from my well?” 

SLIDES: What We Know (and Don’t Know) about the Effects of Oil and Gas Development on Water Quality

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SLIDES: What We Know (and Don’t Know) about the Effects of Oil and Gas Development on Water Quality

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