hydraulic fracturing and groundwater: a los angeles … and forms/hydraulic fracturing and la... ·...
TRANSCRIPT
Hydraulic Fracturing and Groundwater: A Los Angeles Water District PerspectiveA Los Angeles Water District Perspective
By: Ted Johnson, Chief HydrogeologistBy: Ted Johnson, Chief HydrogeologistWater Replenishment District of Southern California
January 24, 2013 – for LABGS
Focus on 2 LA Groundwater Basins:Central Basin and West Coast Basin (CBWCB)
San Gabriel MtnsSan Gabriel MtnsArea = 420 mi2 43 Cities 4 Million People
( )
San Gabriel ValleySan Gabriel Valley Puente Hills
Merced Hills
San Gabriel MtnsSan Gabriel MtnsArea = 420 mi2, 43 Cities, 4 Million People
Coyote HillsSanta Monica Mtns
San Gabriel RiverLos Angeles River
Los Los AngelesAngeles
Long BeachLong Beach
Palos Verdes Hills> 400 Water WellsPumping 240,000 acre feet/yr
(78 billion gallons/yr)Pacific Ocean
(78 billion gallons/yr)
LA County Population Growth
5,700% increase in 110 years
1904 LA Groundwater Contour Map
1904 Groundwater Contour Map (Mendenhall, 1905). Gray shading indicates areas of flowing artesian wells
West Basin Key Well 3S/14W-22L01
10
201900s1900s‐‐1950s1950s
Excessive PumpingExcessive Pumping
30
-20
-10
0
10
r Ele
vatio
n se
a le
vel)
Excessive Pumping Excessive Pumping caused caused 50 Feet of
G d t L l
-60
-50
-40
-30
Gro
undw
ate
(feet
from
s
Groundwater Groundwater OVERDRAFTOVERDRAFT
Groundwater Level Drop (2.5 ft/yr)
-80
-70
1930
1935
1940
1945
1950
1955
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010Central Basin Key Well 2S/13W-10A01
100
OVERDRAFTOVERDRAFT
20
40
60
80
Elev
atio
nea
leve
l)
-80
-60
-40
-20
0
Gro
undw
ater
E(fe
et fr
om s
e 160 Feet of Groundwater Level
Drop (8 ft/yr)
-120
-100
-80
1935
1940
1945
1950
1955
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
Groundwater Management Solutions SEAWATER BARRIER WELLS: LA County installed injection wells
along 16 miles of coastline to form a barrier to halt seawater intrusion into the coastal aquifers. Started in 1950s.
NEW REPLENISHMENT WATER: WRD formed in 1959 by a localNEW REPLENISHMENT WATER: WRD formed in 1959 by a local election to perform managed aquifer recharge to make up the annual overdraft.
CONTROL EXTRACTIONS: Legal Action (adjudication) in 1960s reduced pumping to 281,835 acre feet per year (still greater h l f ld) l d l hthan natural safe yield). Relied on WRD replenishment water to make up the difference and create an operational safe yield.
West Basin Key Well 3S/14W-22L01
10
20 West Basin Key Well 3S/14W-22L01
10
20RESULTS of
-30
-20
-10
0
er E
leva
tion
sea
leve
l)
-30
-20
-10
0
er E
leva
tion
m s
ea le
vel)Groundwater
Management …
70
-60
-50
-40
-30
Gro
undw
ate
(feet
from
70
-60
-50
-40
30
Gro
undw
ate
(feet
from
Management …
-80
-70
1930
1935
1940
1945
1950
1955
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010Central Basin Key Well 2S/13W-10A01
100
-80
-70
1930
1935
1940
1945
1950
1955
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010Central Basin Key Well 2S/13W-10A01
100
0
20
40
60
80
Elev
atio
nea
leve
l)
0
20
40
60
80
Elev
atio
nea
leve
l) … Rising Water
-80
-60
-40
-20
0
Gro
undw
ater
(fe
et fr
om s
e
-80
-60
-40
-20
0
Gro
undw
ater
(fe
et fr
om s
e
Levels & Drought Protection
-120
-100
1935
1940
1945
1950
1955
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
-120
-100
1935
1940
1945
1950
1955
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
Where do CB and WCB get their Water?
â Imported River Water: 60%
â Groundwater: 40%
â Recycled Wastewater: Growing uses (irrigation, industrial applications groundwaterapplications, groundwater recharge)
Over 400 Groundwater Production Wells Operated by Various Cities and other Public/Private Entitiesby Various Cities and other Public/Private Entities
Central Basin
West Coast Basin
Quaternary & Late Pliocene Coastal AquifersSand & Gravel Folded & FaultedSand & Gravel. Folded & Faulted.
Groundwater Wells Tapping Coastal Aquifers
one
ewoo
d Fault Z
Mid Pliocene “Bedrock”Repetto & Lower Fernando Fms.
New
port‐In
gle
N
But There’s Oil & Gas in the Basins tooSi l HillSignal Hill
Over 30 Mapped Oil Fields and 9,700 Oil/Gas Wells in WRD Service AreaOil/Gas Wells in WRD Service Area
Central BasinBasin
West Coast Basin
Cross‐Section through LA showing Petroleum Target ZonesPetroleum Target Zones
South NorthSouth
MilesMiles
Recent, Pleistocene and late Pliocene.General area of Fresh Groundwater
es
1
2
3
Miles
1
2
Mid Pliocene to Mid Miocene.General Targets for Petroleum Recovery
4
5
6
3
4
5
6
7
8Mesozoic Schist, Granite, Slate, Metasediments , Bedrock – No Petroleum
6
7
8
Modified from Davis – Namson, 1998Southern California Cross Section Study
Oil Wells & Water Wells in LA Over 100 Years of Co‐Existing
So Why All The Concern Over Fracking?
National Issue
Are There Risks to Groundwater?
“There have been over a million wells hydraulically fractured in the history of the industry, and there is not one, not one, reported case of a freshwater aquifer h i b i d f h d li f i ”
INDUSTRY:
having ever been contaminated from hydraulic fracturing. Not one” Rex W. Tillerson, the chief executive of ExxonMobil ‐ Congressional hearing on drilling (NYTimes, 8/3/2011).
ENVIRONMENTAL:NRDC, May 2012, 12‐05A> 30 potential groundwater
i i fcontamination cases from hydraulic fracturing
SCIENCESCIENCE:“The effects of unconventional oil and gas development…on regional water quality have not been previously described despite the fact that oil and gas development in the United States began nearly 150 years ago ”development in the United States began nearly 150 years ago...USGS, April 2012, Fact Sheet 2012‐3049
What is Hydraulic Fracturing (Fracking)?
â Method to enhance oil or natural gas production.g p
â Inject fluids (water, sand, chemicals) under high pressure tochemicals) under high pressure to break open rock to enhance permeability and oil/gas flow.
â Improvements in horizontal drilling technologies have led to g gsignificant increase in fracking for gas, especially in the eastern and middle United States
Vertical and Horizontal wells and Fracking
middle United States.
http://www.eia.gov/oil_gas/rpd/shale_gas.pdf
Conventional vs. Unconventional Frackingâ Conventional: Fracking in permeable reservoirs like sandstone and limestone to improve oil/gas flows. Has been done by oil companies for > 50 years. Vertical or slant wells. Lower pressure and water. Common in CA and elsewhere.
â Unconventional: Newerâ Unconventional: Newer fracking in hard tight rock that is porous but not permeable (i e shale) Slant or horizontal(i.e. shale). Slant or horizontal wells used to expose more formation to mine. TX, PA, NY, WY MO CO OH CA next?
http://www.geomore.com/shale‐gas‐and‐fracking/
â High‐Rate Gravel Packing: Small scale fracking near the well bore to i ll l k i fl h il/ ll d/
WY, MO, CO, OH. CA next?
install gravel pack to improve flows at the oil/gas well and/or to prevent formation sand entry (like a gravel pack in a water well).
Why Frack?â Câ Creates a new energy resource. Unconventional drilling and fracking into now accounts for more than half the natural gas production in the U.S. Estimated 100 year supply.
ââ Allows extended production in older oil and gas fields. http://energytomorrow.org/blog/natural‐gas‐the‐70‐percent/#/type/all
â Allows recovery of petroleum from tight formations previously believed to be un‐produceable.
â Reduced price of natural gas.
â Creates jobs in energy industry.
Injection FluidsâWater is the main fluid. Average 5 million gallons per job for unconventional; < 400,000 for conventional; < 100,000 gravel pack.
â Sand/Silica (proppant) keeps fractures open; otherwise would close.
â Assorted chemical additives are site specific. Many purposes: inhibit p y p pcorrosion, remove drilling mud, prevent scaling, reduce viscosity, etc.
http://fracfocus.org/water‐protection/drilling‐usage
Fracking Operations
Groundwater
Shale Oil/Gas Target Zone
http://www.epa.gov/hfstudy/hfwatercycle.html
Unconventional Fracking Operations
Groundwater
Shale Oil/Gas Target Zone
http://www.epa.gov/hfstudy/hfwatercycle.html
Fracking Operations
Groundwater
Shale Oil/Gas Target Zone
http://www.epa.gov/hfstudy/hfwatercycle.html
Potential Threats to Groundwater
Groundwater
Shale Oil/Gas Target Zone
http://www.epa.gov/hfstudy/hfwatercycle.html
Potential Threats to Groundwater
CasingGroundwater
Casing Failure
Excessive Fracking
Faults may act as a conduit
Minor
Shale Oil/Gas
Threats: Chemicals, Saline Water, Natural Gas, Earthquakes
Old Gas/Oil Well – Not Abandoned Properly
Minor Earthquakes
National Research on Fracking
USGS Groundwater Study
Ways to Minimize Riskâ Baseline Monitoring.
â Proper well design to prevent leaksprevent leaks.
â Identify all artificial pathways and seal off.
Injection Well
Deep Monitoring
Wells Water Supply WellsVapor Probes
Seismic Monitoring
â Proper waste collection and disposal.
Fresh
Groundwater
Nâ Monitor injection pressures, intervening “dead zone” aquifer, flowback ponds deep and
No
Activity
“Dead” Zoneflowback ponds, deep and shallow groundwater monitoring, seismic monitoring.
Fracking Target Formation Shale Gas / Tight Oil
“Dead” Zone
â Vapor probes for soil gas monitoring at surface.
FracFocus.org – Tracks Fracking & Chemicals
http://www.hydraulicfracturingdisclosure.org/fracfocusfind/Map.aspx
Listed California Fracking Locations
646 listed in California, 11 in the WRD area (8 offshore).http://www.hydraulicfracturingdisclosure.org/fracfocusfind/Map.aspx
FracFocus.orgFracFocus.org Chemical Listing
DOGGR Regulates CA Oil, Gas, Geothermalâ Permitting agency for oil and gas wells in the State. Oversee well constructions and abandonments to protect CA groundwater.
â Class II Injection Well Program to regulate injecting fluids for oil or gas operations. Strict requirements for well completion.
â No specific regulations (yet) for hydraulic fracturing. In Progress…
Recent CA Action / Legislationâ Gov Brown increasing DOGGR staff by 18 to step up regulation andâ Gov. Brown increasing DOGGR staff by 18 to step up regulation and permitting process.
â DOGGR released preliminary regulations (Discussion Draft) afterâ DOGGR released preliminary regulations (Discussion Draft) after holding State‐wide workshops (www.conservation.ca.gov/dog/Pages/Index.aspx)
â 2012 SB 1054 (P l ) F il d W ld i tifi ti f il/â 2012 SB 1054 (Pavley) – Failed. Would require notification of oil/gas drilling if the well will penetrate an underground water source.
â 2012 AB 591 (Wi k ki) F il d W ld i di l fâ 2012 AB 591 (Wieckowski) – Failed. Would require disclosure of fracking chemicals and locations of fracking operations in the State.
ââ 2012 AB 972 (Butler) – Failed. CA moratorium on fracking .
â 2013 SB 4 (Pavley) and AB 7 (Wieckowski). Defines fracking, requires disclosure of nearby faults, requires State to develop fracking rules, requires notification of fracking jobs and chemicals.
Local Concern over Fracking
LA Times
Inglewood Oil Field ‐ LAWeekly.comInglewood Oil Field LAWeekly.com
Press Telegram
Inglewood Oil Field Fracking Controversy
Lawsuit Filed on CA Fracking over CEQA
WRD Monitoring Wells & Oil Fields
300 Wells at 50 LocationsMinimum Depth 60 ft
Maximum Depth 1,990 ft
WRD Nested Monitoring Wells
Injection Well
Water Supply Wells
Nested Monitoring
Well WellsWells
Fresh
Groundwater
No
Activity
“Dead” Zone
Oil / Gas Fracking Target Zone Oil / Gas Reservoirs
Groundwater Level Hydrograph:Deeper Zones Anomalously Lowp y
GROUNDWATER QUALITY TESTING
Over 100 chemicals tested in each well twice per year, or over 50,000 results on water
quality annually.
Have not yet sampled specifically for fracking chemicals
Water Quality Results near Oil Fieldsââ Generally Good Water Quality or Typical of Greater Depths (color, odor, salinity).
â A few wells have elevated concentrations at depth:â A few wells have elevated concentrations at depth:
Boron
Arsenic Arsenic
TCE
TBA TBA
â Sources have not yet been identified. Could be natural or may be associated with current or legacy oil field operations at surfacebe associated with current or legacy oil field operations at surface or reservoirs. Difficult to determine.
â Additional testing for exotic compounds may help determine sources. Penn State Univ. recent study found radium and barium related to fracking flowback water in Marcellus Shale.
Fracking is used for Water Wells Too!
http://www.nhcontractors.net/2012/01/hydrofracking‐nh/
â Hydraulic Fracturing is a method used over 50 years to enhance oil and gas
Summaryâ Hydraulic Fracturing is a method used over 50 years to enhance oil and gas recovery. Newer methods are proving fruitful but controversial nationwide.
â Fresh groundwater, oil and natural gas have been successfully produced in the CBWCB for over 100 years.
â h d b h kâ The two reservoirs are separated by thick layers of low permeability strata so that with appropriate precaution, construction, regulation and monitoring the activities in one do notand monitoring, the activities in one do not necessarily affect the other.
â WRD continues monitoring and working withâ WRD continues monitoring and working with regulatory agencies for responsible fracking rules. We don’t want to unnecessarily hamper the energy industry, we just want to protect the gy y, j pgroundwater quality in our service area.
Contact Ted Johnson ‐ [email protected]