Form Submission: Participation Entry

Unconventional oil and gas(UO&G) development in the United States has expanded rapidly within the past decade to become a leading source of energy in the U.S.. Tight shale formations such as the Marcellus and Utica shale are the most prolific producers of shale gas, with Pennsylvania alone accounting for 19% of total U.S. natural gas production in 2017. Questions still remain however, over the potential for UO&G development to impact drinking water sources and how risk changes with intensification of drilling operations. Over the past 4 years we have collected a continuous time series of over 600 groundwater samples from 7 groundwater monitoring wells spanning a period before, during, and after nearby shale gas development. Our study sites are based in Susquehanna County, PA, one of the top three producers of shale gas in Pennsylvania and a county where increased recovery estimates have spurred increases in drilling activity. Throughout our monitoring study we have observed significant variability in methane concentrations and associated groundwater chemistry and two pulses of shale gas development. In this presentation I will discuss our key findings and an interpretation of our results to date.