Field-Scale Monitoring — a Collaborative Approach

White, Greg

Field-Scale Monitoring — a Collaborative Approach

Thursday, November 13, 2014: 5:30 p.m.

Greg White, P.G. , EHS Support LLC, Chicago, IL

Groundwater and surface water monitoring programs are central to responsible development of unconventional oil and gas resources and are often required by regulators to assess potential long-term impacts associated with upstream oil and gas extraction. In New South Wales, Australia a monitoring program is required by state regulators to identify sensitive groundwater and surface water receptors, characterize baseline conditions, assess changes in the receiving environment, and mitigate potential impacts associated with coal bed methane extraction. However, a monitoring network over the entire potential upstream development area, covering more than 7500 square miles, would present significant challenges due to high capital costs associated with multi-depth well installation (with depths ranging between 60 feet and 3500 feet), lengthy implementation timeframes, long-term monitoring requirements and associated costs, access issues, and public relations considerations.

To overcome these challenges, a collaborative approach was employed between the natural gas proponent and the state water board. The process involved negotiations with the water board to gain access to the state’s surface water and groundwater monitoring networks within and around the proposed development area. Utilizing the state’s infrastructure provided the gas proponent with a robust purpose-built monitoring network targeting key water resources, an extensive historical and independent dataset to characterize baseline conditions, and an avenue for increased transparency with the public. The use of existing infrastructure reduced the need to install new monitoring infrastructure and provided historical monitoring data to supplement the current understanding of baseline conditions. Further, the process provided the water board with a thorough assessment of their monitoring sites and a source of ongoing data to utilize for various internal initiatives.

While this collaborative approach does not remove all challenges associated with field-scale data acquisition, it provides a framework for reducing costs and characterization timeframes, increasing transparency, and ultimately streamlining resource development in an environmentally responsible manner.

Greg White, P.G., EHS Support LLC, Chicago, IL

Greg White is a Project Manager and Geologist with EHS Support LLC and has more than 10 years of environmental consulting experience in the United States and Australia. Experience in the U.S. includes project execution for contaminated land sites under a variety of regulatory frameworks including the RCRA Corrective Action Program in U.S. EPA Region 3, Region 5, and Region 9 and state voluntary and Superfund programs in California, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, and Wisconsin. Experience in Australia includes water resources management, environmental monitoring program development, and assessment for the coal seam gas industry in New South Wales and Queensland. Technical experience includes conceptual model development; hydrogeologic and geochemical evaluations; non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL) assessment, remedy design, and implementation; and various work plan, report, and technical submittal preparation. Field experience includes investigation and remedial action program management and execution; soil/rock classification and oversight of hollow stem auger, direct push, air and mud rotary, cone penetrometer testing, and sonic drilling methods; soil, groundwater, air, soil vapor, and NAPL characterization; aquifer testing; land surveying; remedy construction; system operation and maintenance; geophysical surveying; and construction management and excavation oversight.