This study incorporates time series sampling of groundwater before, during, and after drilling, hydraulic fracturing, and initiation of shale gas production. Using monitoring wells installed next to gas well pads and above gas well laterals, previously undocumented responses to drilling and a gas well casing breach were observed, although groundwater impacts arising from the process of hydraulic fracturing were not detected. We discover considerable temporal variability in methane concentrations in deeper horizons of freshwater aquifers and attribute this to persistent shifts in aquifer recharge that influence mixing between shallow freshwater and comparatively saline and methane-rich deep groundwater. These results have implications for attribution of groundwater contamination to specific stages of shale gas development or natural processes and improving regulatory monitoring.
Concern persists over the potential for unconventional oil and gas development to contaminate groundwater with methane and other chemicals. These concerns motivated our 2-year prospective study of groundwater quality within the Marcellus Shale. We installed eight multilevel monitoring wells within bedrock aquifers of a 25-km 2 area targeted for shale gas development (SGD). Twenty-four isolated intervals within these wells were sampled monthly over 2 years and groundwater pressures were recorded before, during, and after seven shale gas wells were drilled, hydraulically fractured, and placed into production. Perturbations in groundwater pressures were detected at hilltop monitoring wells during drilling of nearby gas wells and during a gas well casing breach. In both instances, pressure changes were ephemeral (<24 hours) and no lasting impact on groundwater quality was observed. Overall, methane concentrations ([CH 4]) ranged from detection limit to 70 mg/L, increased with aquifer depth, and, at several sites, exhibited considerable temporal variability. Methane concentrations in valley monitoring wells located above gas well laterals increased in conjunction with SGD, but CH 4 isotopic composition and hydrocarbon composition (CH 4/C 2H 6) are inconsistent with Marcellus origins for this gas. Further, salinity increased concurrently with [CH 4], which rules out contamination by gas phase migration of fugitive methane from structurally compromised gas wells. Collectively, our observations suggest that SGD was an unlikely source of methane in our valley wells, and that naturally occurring methane in valley settings, where regional flow systems interact with local flow systems, is more variable in concentration and composition both temporally and spatially than previously understood.