--> Assessing methane in shallow groundwater for the Berea Sandstone and Rogersville Shale play area, eastern Kentucky

AAPG Eastern Section Meeting

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Assessing methane in shallow groundwater for the Berea Sandstone and Rogersville Shale play area, eastern Kentucky

Abstract

Rapid implementation of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technology in producing oil and gas from tight rock formations across the country has increased public concerns about possible impacts on the environment, especially on shallow drinking water aquifers. In eastern Kentucky, horizontal drilling and fracturing activities in the Upper Devonian Berea Sandstone have increased in recent years. While production activities in the Berea Sandstone are at a relatively small scale, public attention has been drawn to the Rogersville Shale, a deeper, thicker, and more areally extensive organic-rich shale projected to become a major shale play in eastern Kentucky. Information about existing groundwater quality, especially dissolved methane, in aquifers overlying the Berea and Rogersville play areas is critical to help address the public's environmental concerns and protect groundwater resources.

The Kentucky Geological Survey, in collaboration with GSI Environmental, collected and analyzed groundwater samples from existing domestic and public water-supply wells located in Greenup, Carter, Boyd, Lawrence, Johnson, and Elliot Counties. The objectives of this project are to obtain an understanding of baseline groundwater chemistry throughout the study area and to use isotope data to evaluate possible sources of methane detected in the groundwater. A total 51 water wells were sampled and analyzed for major cations and ions, metals, and dissolved gases including methane. Wells with elevated methane concentration were also analyzed for carbon and hydrogen isotopes. Results from this study provide the first assessment of methane concentrations, possible sources of methane, and the relation of methane to water chemistry in the area.