Gas Well/Water Well Subsurface Contamination - Plan for Investigation

With the advent of horizontal drilling and frac technologies which allow the commercial production of oil and gas from very low permeability rocks, onshore North America is undergoing a historic drilling boom.  The industry is now drilling in areas never drilled before – densely populated and often with significant, beneficial use aquifers in the shallow subsurface.  Is oil and gas drilling, fracing, and production endangering the nation’s groundwater supplies?  Are water wells and aquifers being contaminated with oil and gas, drilling mud, and/or frac fluids?  Numerous tools and methods of investigation can be used to answer these questions:  proximity; timing of the impact; other contaminant sources; oil and gas well records; pressure data from the gas well and water well; data on frac geometry; natural gas, condensate, and water composition; seismic data; cement bond logs; noise logs; temperature logs; gamma ray logs; radioactive tracers; pressure interference tests; and installation of monitoring wells.  Effective use of these tools will solve the problem of whether or not an oil or gas well has contaminated a water well.  None of these technologies are new, though they may be unfamiliar to the layman and to environmental consultants who have no specific background in oil and gas drilling and production. Operators can utilize these tools to educate the public and landowners, promote and defend drilling programs, and in litigation support.  Every investigation will be unique, and the tools and methods may be utilized in any sequence or combination that satisfies the client’s needs and objectives.