Water Use Associated with Natural Gas Shale Development
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Water Use Associated with Natural Gas Shale Development: An Assessment of Activities Managed by the Susquehanna River Basin Commission July 2008 through December 2013 Publication No. 299 April 2016 Authors James L. Richenderfer, Ph.D., P.G., Senior Science Advisor to the Commission Bret Wagner, Database Developer Matthew K. Shank, Aquatic Biologist John Balay, P.H., Manager, Planning and Operations Dawn Hintz, Environmental Scientist/Database Analyst Jeremy Hoffman, Supervisor, Compliance Paula B. Ballaron, P.G., Manager, Policy Implementation and Outreach Steven McFeaters, Environmental Scientist Jeffrey Zimmerman, Jr., GIS Developer Susquehanna River Basin Commission James M. Tierney, New York Commissioner Kenneth P. Lynch, New York. Alternate Peter Freehafer, New York Alternate John Quigley, Pennsylvania Commissioner Kelly Jean Heffner, Pennsylvania Alternate Laura Mohr, Pennsylvania Alternate Ben Grumbles, Maryland Commissioner Saeid Kasraei, Maryland Alternate Virginia Kearney, Maryland Alternate Brig. General William H. Graham, U.S. Commissioner Colonel Edward P. Chamberlayne, U.S. Alternate David J. Leach, U.S. Alternate Amy M. Guise, U.S. Alternate Andrew D. Dehoff, P.E., Executive Director The Susquehanna River Basin Commission was created as an independent agency by a federal-interstate compact* among the states of Maryland and New York, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the federal government. In creating the Commission, the Congress and state legislatures formally recognized the water resources of the Susquehanna River Basin as a regional asset vested with local, state, and national interests for which all the parties share responsibility. As the single federal-interstate water resources agency with Basinwide authority, the Commission's goal is to coordinate the planning, conservation, management, utilization, development, and control of Basin water resources among the public and private sectors. *Statutory Citations: Federal - Pub. L. 91-575, 84 Stat. 1509 (December 1970); Maryland - Natural Resources Sec. 8-301 (Michie 1974); New York - ECL Sec. 21-1301 (McKinney 1973); and Pennsylvania - 32 P.S. 820.1 (Supp. 1976). This report is available on our web site (www.srbc.net) by selecting Public Information/Technical Reports. For a CD or hard copy, contact the Susquehanna River Basin Commission, 4423 N. Front Street, Harrisburg, Pa. 17110- 1788, Phone: (717) 238-0423, Fax: (717) 238-2436, E-mail: [email protected]. TABLE OF CONTENTS DEFINITIONS ...................................................................................................................... iii I. Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 1 A. Objectives ..................................................................................................................... 1 B. Historic Perspective ...................................................................................................... 2 II. Part I. The Regulatory Role of the Susquehanna River Basin Commission .......................... 5 A. Regulation of Water Withdrawals, Consumptive Use, and Diversions ........................ 5 B. Regulation of the Unconventional Natural Gas Industry .............................................. 7 C. The “Gallon One” Modification ................................................................................... 8 III. Part II. Water Acquisition and Well Development Activities ............................................... 9 A. Consumptive Water Use Approvals.............................................................................. 9 B. Gas Wells Permitted, Drilled, and Fractured within the Basin ................................... 17 C. Water Withdrawn and Consumptively Used by the Industry ..................................... 20 D. Total Consumptive Water Use .................................................................................... 23 E. Total Surface Water Withdrawn by the Industry ........................................................ 23 F. Total Groundwater Withdrawn by the Industry .......................................................... 24 G. Total Diversion of Water Into the Basin ..................................................................... 24 H. Total Consumptive Water Use versus Total Water Withdrawals ............................... 24 I. Details of Surface Water Withdrawals ....................................................................... 24 J. Watershed Distribution of Approved Surface Water Withdrawal Sites ..................... 27 K. Number of Approved Surface Water Withdrawals Sites Used by the Gas Industry .. 28 L. Profile of Water Use Associated with the Hydraulic Fracturing Process ................... 38 M. Major Findings Regarding Water Acquisition and Consumptive Use by the Industry ....................................................................................................................... 42 IV. Part III. Commission Programs Influencing Industry Water Use ........................................ 43 A. Low Flow Protection Policy ....................................................................................... 44 V. Monitoring and Protection ................................................................................................... 49 A. Aquatic Resource Surveys .......................................................................................... 49 B. Remote Water Quality Monitoring Network .............................................................. 55 C. Results and Findings ................................................................................................... 56 VI. Compliance Program ........................................................................................................... 62 A. Compliance Inspections of the Industry by Quarter and Year .................................... 62 B. Notices of Violation Issued by Quarter and Year (Natural Gas Industry Only) ......... 63 C. Nature of Notices of Violations Issued Over Time .................................................... 64 D. Comparison of Notices of Violation for Natural Gas Projects vs. Non-Gas Projects 65 E. Summary of Settlements with Natural Gas Operators ................................................ 66 VII. Part IV. General Observations and Conclusions .................................................................. 67 A. Looking Back .............................................................................................................. 67 B. Looking Ahead............................................................................................................ 69 VIII. References ............................................................................................................................ 70 i TABLES Table 1. Summary of Approval-By-Rule Issued to the Natural Gas Industry ......................... 11 Table 2. Summary of Unconventional Gas Wells Permitted-Drilled-Fractured by County within the Susquehanna River Basin between 2005 and 2013 (PADEP, 2012) ........ 19 Table 3. Quarterly Summary of Consumptive Water Use, Water Withdrawals, and Water Diversions by the Unconventional Gas Industry within the Susquehanna River Basin from the Third Quarter 2008 through the Fourth Quarter 2013 ............................... 22 Table 4. Summary of Water Withdrawal Approvals within the Susquehanna River Basin for Use by Unconventional Natural Gas Industry ........................................................... 26 Table 5. Top 20 Watersheds Used as Water Sources by the Unconventional Natural Gas Industry (2008-2013) ................................................................................................. 30 Table 6A. Frequency Analysis of Approved Daily Maximum Limits for Surface Water Withdrawals ............................................................................................................... 34 Table 6B. Frequency Analyses of Drainage Area Classes of Surface Water Withdrawal Approvals ................................................................................................................... 36 Table 6C. Frequency Analyses of Ratios between Approved Daily Maximum Limits of Surface Water Withdrawals and 10-Year Low Baseflows at Point of Withdrawal ................ 38 Table 7. Summary of Average Water Injected per Well Fracturing Event and Proportions of Fresh and Flowback Waters Used in Those Events................................................... 40 Table 8. Aquatic Resource Class Criteria and Distribution within the Susquehanna River Basin .......................................................................................................................... 44 Table 9. De minimis Withdrawal Thresholds by Aquatic Resource Class .............................. 47 Table 10. Passby Flow/Conservation Release Schedule ........................................................... 47 Table 11. Water Chemistry Parameters ..................................................................................... 56 FIGURES Figure 1. Extent of Natural Gas Shales (Berg et al., 1980) ......................................................... 4 Figure 2. Natural Gas Related Water Withdrawals and ABR Approvals in the Susquehanna River Basin, 2008-2009 ............................................................................................. 12 Figure 3. Natural Gas Related Water Withdrawals and ABR Approvals in the Susquehanna River Basin,