Annual Report
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Kentucky Geological Survey ANNUAL REPORT 200809 OUR MISSION is to increase knowledge and understanding of the mineral, energy, water resources, geologic hazards, and geology of Kentucky for the benefit of the commonwealth and nation. Cover photo: Eagle Falls at Cumberland Falls State Resort Park by James Pulliam, an avid amateur photographer whose daughter, Carrie Pulliam, has worked at KGS for 6 years. Eagle Falls flows over Pennsylvanian sandstone into the Cumberland River just below Cumberland Falls. 228 Mining and Mineral Resources Building University of Kentucky Lexington, KY 40506-0107 www.uky.edu/KGS Contents: Letter from the Director 2 Energy Research 4 Water Resources 7 Geologic Hazards 10 Carbon Storage: The Deep Hole 12 Public Outreach 14 Geologic Mapping 16 Henderson Office 17 Laboratory 18 Core Library 19 Transportation Issues 20 Publications and Online Data 21 Awards and Recognitions 22 KGS Staff 200809 23 Grants and Contracts 24 The KGS work in geologic storage and enhanced oil recovery is of course tied to government actions taken for climate change. These stories Tare still unfolding. We will stay tuned. In the 2008-09 fiscal year, public quarter of 2009, at the time of this writing, service reached new heights with the stock market is again above 10,000, a data distribution at an all-time high, positive sign, but unemployment is above 10 and research reached new depths percent and the outlook is uncertain. The KGS with a borehole into the Precam- budget could face cuts once again in the 2009- brian at 8,126 feet. Research on 10 fiscal year, but with the Kentucky General geologic storage of CO2 was a big Assembly beginning its session in January part of the research program for KGS, but 2010, there is no clear sign at this time what research on earthquakes, landslides, geologic the States, university, or KGS budget will be. mapping, and water resources was also The U.S. House of Representatives passed important. This annual report of the Kentucky the Markey-Waxman Bill, which is energy Geological Survey is a summary of the projects legislation containing provisions for a cap- and accomplishments of this organization and-trade system to control carbon emissions. over the past fiscal year. People interested in Commercialization of geologic storage will the Kentucky Geological Survey, its programs, likely not advance beyond the pilot phase and educational outreach can find an until there is some type of mandated abundance of information on the KGS Web regulatory control. The EPA has designated site. The Web site is a portal into maps, CO2 as a hazardous air pollutant, setting the publications, geologic data for Kentucky, and stage for regulatory controls by the EPA if recent presentations made by our staff Congress does not enact legislation. The UN members. climate change conference, Conference of KGS is a mandated program of the State the Parties to the UN Framework Convention of Kentucky and operates as a research center on Climate Change, will take place in of the University of Kentucky under the vice December 2009. Although there has been president for research. The serious questions much build-up and publicity in the U.S. media, concerning energy, water, global climate, and there will be no action in the Senate to hazards confronting our state, nation, and advance the Markey-Waxman Bill, so our the world create a situation where geological countrys position at the conference is as yet surveys are more important to society than unknown. President Obama is, however, ever before. expected to be at the conference in person. This annual report comes at a very difficult The KGS work in geologic storage and time in the country, with ongoing recession, enhanced oil recovery is of course tied to rising unemployment, decreasing revenues, government actions taken for climate change. and great economic uncertainty in the state, These stories are still unfolding. We will stay nation, and world. A 2008 survey of top tuned. economists showed most of them believed One of the important measures demon- the economy was then in a recession that strating KGSs progress and effectiveness is would continue through 2009. As of the fourth numbers for sponsored projects. In 2008-09, KGS had 19 funded projects for a total grant funding second enhanced oil recovery project is under way of $2.1 million. KGS produced 10 new publications. at the Euterpe Field in Henderson County. Future The KGS Web site continues to be a valuable tool projects are planned on deep geologic storage in used by many industries, government agencies, eastern Kentucky and enhanced gas production in and private citizens to gather geologic information. Pike County. Last year, users conducted 223,120 online database The Precambrian Era is the time in the very searches for petroleum, coal, and water data. distant geologic past when only primitive organisms Most of the data and publications that KGS such as algae lived on Earth. In Kentucky, the rocks provides can be downloaded free from our Web of the Precambrian are very deep, covered by more site, and over 1.2 million such downloads took than a mile of Paleozoic strata. Therefore, getting place last year. Users can also view KGS data on a sample or core of these rocks is extremely rare interactive Web maps, especially our signature in Kentucky. Because of the excitement surrounding interactive geologic maps. KGS database and map the core of Precambrian rock from the Hancock Internet functions serve over 1,000 users a day. County well, we shared pieces of the core with The KGS Well Sample and Core Library accommo- Gov. Beshear, UK President Todd, UK Vice President dated 1,540 visitors and added 700,000 feet of core Tracy, Rep. Rocky Adkins, Sen. Robert Stivers, and from 252 wells. KGS added one new staff member our partners on the project from ConocoPhillips, in the year ending June 30, 2008. E.On U.S., and Peabody Energy. All seemed In the 2007 special session, the Kentucky genuinely pleased to receive their piece of General Assembly passed HB-1, establishing tax Kentuckys very ancient geologic past. incentives for alternative-fuel and renewable-energy Research continued on seismic hazard analysis plants to locate in Kentucky and provided funds for Kentucky and on the KGS/UK exchange program for research. HB-1 appropriated $5 million for the with the Lanzhou Institute of Seismology in Gansu Kentucky Geological Survey to investigate CO2 Province, China. Director Lanmin Wang visited KGS storage in deep geologic reservoirs, enhanced oil and UK in the spring, and presented a talk on the recovery, and enhanced Devonian gas recovery. devastating Sichuan earthquake of May 2008. Research mandated by this bill was a major focus KGS staff testified for a number of legislative for KGS during 2008-09. committees and consulted with State officials in The deep geologic storage project in Hancock a number of different departments. KGS maintained County in the Western Kentucky Coal Field raised the States groundwater monitoring network, over $9.5 million to match State and KGS funds, seismic monitoring network, well sample and core for a total project budget of $10.8 million. The well library, and groundwater data repository, all part was successfully completed, and CO2 was injected of our mandate. We continued in an advisory role in the summer of 2009. The geologic and for the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet engineering characteristics of the deep rock and produced two dozen articles and press releases formations are being determined from the data in the news media. The details of these and many obtained during the course of this research. The other activities are described in greater detail in scope of work and detailed research make this one this annual report. of the most comprehensive projects of its kind in the United States. It is also one of the largest, if not the largest, nonfederal carbon storage test project in the United States. The Sugar Creek enhanced oil recovery project in Hopkins County in western Kentucky is showing that injecting CO2 James Cobb to enhance oil production holds promise as a State Geologist and Director feasible technology. The project is only about a quarter of the way to completion and has injected 2,000 tons of CO2 of an ultimate 8,000 tons. A KGS has been active in major projects related to carbon storage and use of KCO2 for enhanced oil and gas recovery. Western Kentucky ConocoPhillips, E.ON US, Tarrant, and Combs, LLC; and Deep Storage Test Peabody Energy, and the Kentucky Syngas LLC. z Tennessee Valley Authority formed Drilling of the Marvin Blan Enhanced Oil Recovery the Western Kentucky Carbon No.1 well in Hancock County, Ky., Sequestration to test the potential for permanent Storage Foundation to provide Carbon dioxide injection began storage of carbon dioxide in deep additional funding and technical on May 11 at the Sugar Creek western Kentucky formations, services to the project. The Illinois enhanced oil recovery and began on April 24 and was Department of Commerce and sequestration project in Hopkins completed on June 15, reaching a Economic Opportunity also County. The project is jointly total depth of 8,126 feet. Three provided funding. administered by the state primary carbon storage reservoirs Cores were taken in the New Energy Research geological surveys of Kentucky of the Knox Group were identified. Albany, Maquoketa, Black River, and Illinois and the operator of St. Peter and Mount Simon and Knox formations; 30 feet of the oil field, Gallagher Drilling Inc. Sandstones, potential carbon core was also taken in the In addition to Kentucky House storage reservoirs being tested Precambrian Middle Run Bill 1 funding, the project also elsewhere in the Illinois Basin, Sandstone at the bottom of the receives support from the U.S.