Kathy MetropulosDivision of Drinking and Ground Waters

Protecting your aquifer: What to consider when drilling oil and gas wells.

What If?

Goal of SWAP ProgramTo protect the drinking water source

from future contamination

through planning and implementing strategies designed to protect the well field

What is SWAP?

Source Water Assessment and Protection Program

Wellhead Protection developed in 1986

Required by 1996 Amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act

Requires that all 5,800 Public Water Systems in Ohio take Steps to Protect their Source of Drinking Water

The SWAP Process

Develop and Implement Drinking Water Source Protection Strategies

Define Protection Areas for Wells/IntakesInventory Potential Contaminant SourcesDetermine Susceptibility

The Assessment - Completed by Ohio EPA

The Protection Plan - Completed by Water System

3rd Largest pumper in NE Ohio>6 MGDPop. >50,000>19,000 Service Connections18 Large-Diameter WellsComplex Lagoon SystemNext to Cuyahoga River

Potential Contaminant Sources

Susceptibility Analysis

How susceptible is the source of drinking water (aquifer) to contamination?

High, Moderate or Low

Based On:

Type of Water System

Hydrogeologic Setting

Potential Contaminant Sources

Review of Water Quality Data

Cuyahoga Falls Aquifer Susceptibility

Ground Surface=(0 Feet)

Sand: 22 to 50 Feet

Well Information:Total Depths= 72 - 130 FeetCasing Lengths = 52 - 102 FeetWater Table = 4 - 35 Feet

Sand and Clay: 0 to 22 Feet

Sand and Gravel: 50 to 120 Feet

Creek

Public Water Well

Above-GroundStorage Tank

Ground Water Flow Direction

Potential Ground Water Flow and Contaminant Transport

Potential Chemical PlumePotential

Nitrate Plume

Septic

Oil and Gas Well

Protection Planning

Each public water system is responsible for creating a plan to protect the aquifer.

Each plan will contain regulatory and non-regulatory approaches to protecting the aquifer.

State or federal regulations do not provide for well field protection outside the 300-

foot well isolation radius.

Local authorities are responsible for protecting the well field through ordinance and other non-regulatory means.

Oil and Gas WellsThe Needs

O&G needed to reduce dependency on foreign oil

Helps US economy and supplies

Ohio has 4th largest number of oils and gas wells, behind Texas, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania

Helps Ohio’s economy

Oil and Gas Wells the facts

In 1884, Ohio Worlds largest oil producer

To date, Ohio has produced over 1 Billion barrels crude oil, and almost 8 trillion cubic feet of natural gas

Currently, over 62,000 active wells

What’s in natural gas and oil?

Natural gas is a mixture of hydrocarbon compounds and small quantities of various non-hydrocarbons existing in the gaseous phase or in solution with crude oil in natural

underground reservoirs

Methane, ethane, propane, butane

Benzene, toluene, xylene (VOC)

Brine: Chloride, sodium, calcium, magnesium, VOCs

Drilling the Well

Drilling through aquifer formations to deep zones (4000 feet deep)

Potential for cross-contamination of aquifer and oil-bearing formation

Fluids used in the drilling process have potential to pollute ground water

Upper zones “cased” off

Drilling the Well

Oil field wastes, drilling muds, cuttings, and other fluids are a GW threat when

stored or disposed of improperly

Must be stored in pits, which are usually lined.

These wastes are usually hauled away

Want all drilling wastes hauled at end of drilling process.

Hydraulic Fracturing of Oil Formation

Hydraulic Fracturing used to increase production.

Acid fluids are put down the well before fracturing.

Fracturing is unpredictable, can create pathways to aquifer.

Fracturing fluids are often

hazardous, not regulated,

and exempt from the Safe

Drinking Water Act.

Storage

Above-ground storage tanks contain either brine or gas– Brine contains ground water, salt,

VOCs– Gas and oil contain VOCs

Above Ground Storage Tanks must be diked– Clay is usually used

Improper disposal of brine and other wastes can cause GW contamination

Brine Disposal

Brine: an unwanted by-product of drilling and production.40,000 to 50,000 barrels of brine produced daily in Ohio

Disposal:~177 brine injection wells in Ohio90-95% of Ohio’s brine disposed of in conventional

Disposal wells Also used in surface applications for dust and ice control

Other Problems

Spills

Vandalism

Acts of God

How Risky is Ground Water Contamination from Oil and

Gas Well Operations in Ohio?

Ohio EPA had ~20 cases in the last 15 years.

ODNR received 800 to 900 ground water contamination cases since the mid-1980s.

20% of these (160 – 180) are oil and gas-related.

This comes to <10 cases per year out of ~62,000 wells operating in Ohio.

Protecting the Aquifer

Drill away from protection area

Risk!

How much risk are you willing to take near the third most prolific

well field in Northeast Ohio?

Once a well field becomes contaminated,It is very expensive,

and takes a very long time, to clean up the contamination.

It would cost millions to replace Cuyahoga Falls’ well field.

Long-Term Geologic Issues

Long-term impacts to soil and ground water

The more source material, the greater the impact over time

Aquifer remediation costs

Possible need for new well field

There is no other area near Cuyahoga Falls that can produce that much water.

Protecting the Aquifer Sample raw water before drilling the oil and gas well

Ensure proper construction of new wells Double case oil and gas well through aquifer

Use non-toxic drilling and hydraulic fracturing fluids,

Use secondary containment with impervious surfaces for all storage, production, and loading areas

Inspect storage tanks and piping systems often to detect leaks and perform preventive maintenance.

Negotiate what will happen if the public well field is affected

“An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure”

Protection Planning Prevents problems before

they occur

kathy.metropulos@epa.state.oh.us

SWAP Web Site:

www.epa.state.oh.us/ddagw/pdu/swap.html

Ohio EPAKathy Metropulos

330-963-1149

ODNRBob Worstall

330-284-1418 (cell)330-896-0616 (office)