Water Waste a Kink in New York Shale Gas Future
Drillers must cope with disposing tainted water
Closed-loop system seen as part of the solution
Reuters
19 February 2010
By Edith Honan
BINGHAMTON, New York (Reuters) - Technological advances that have
unlocked natural gas from shale rock deep beneath the surface have
outpaced advances in water waste disposal, meaning that gas drilling
could begin in New York state before a waste disposal program is in
place.
"There is a shortage of treatment facilities that can handle this very
salty water, so that's going to become a bit of a bottleneck for the
industry when they do start issuing drilling permits," said
hydrogeologist John Conrad, head of the environmental consulting firm
Conrad Geoscience Corp.
The booming shale gas business accounts for 15 to 20 percent of U.S.
natural gas production and is seen increasing fourfold over the next 15
years, providing a relatively clean energy source for a country
sensitive to its dependence on foreign oil and looking for ways to
reduce carbon emissions.
But millions of gallons of water are needed for each shale gas well,
leaving drillers to deal with the tainted waste water. Some companies
such as Chesapeake Energy have employed a "closed-loop" system that
reuses water, which experts and environmental critics see as part of
the solution.
New York state, which sits on top part of the gas-rich Marcellus Shale,
has placed a virtual moratorium on high-volume drilling while it
completes an environmental review.
Meanwhile, the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee is
investigating the environmental and public health impact of the
drilling technique known as hydraulic fracturing, and the Environmental
Protection Agency said it would start working with Congress to study
the matter.
In hydraulic fracturing, millions of gallons of water are mixed with
sand and diluted chemicals and blasted into shale rock at a pressure
high enough to break the rock and free the trapped methane gas.
Environmentalists and people living near drilling operations worry that
the drilling process might contaminate ground water, even when heavily
diluted. They have also raised concerns about benzene, arsenic and
low-level radioactive matter coming up from the shale.
The shale gas industry considers environmental opponents of drilling
misguided, saying drilling is heavily regulated and that there has
never been a documented case of ground water contamination because of
hydraulic fracturing.
"I know it doesn't make for very sexy or controversial news but the
plain truth is that processes that we have in place are very protective
and the evidence all points to that," said Paul Hagemeier, vice
president of regulatory compliance at Chesapeake Energy, an Oklahoma
City based company that has the lease for one million acres ) in New
York state.
INVESTMENT NEEDED
Around a third of the millions of gallons of water used in fracturing
comes back to the surface where it is either reused, stored on site or
trucked to treatment plants.
Conrad said companies that can build crystallizer plants -- specialized
waste treatment plants that distill salt out of waste water -- are
unwilling to make an investment in New York until the state begins
issuing drilling permits.
"The investment in these treatment plants won't happen until there's
somewhat of a guarantee of a return," Conrad said.
Chesapeake has begun using a closed-loop system in its wells in
neighboring Pennsylvania -- a technique that limits fracturing fluid
contact with the environment and allows the backflow water to be reused.
The company says it plans to use that system in all of its wells in New
York.
Backflow water can be reused up to 12 times without the need for
treatment, Conrad said. It makes economic sense for the industry
because it limits the costs of moving the waste off site and reduces
the amount of water the company needs for its next drilling operation.
In Pennsylvania, where the industry is rushing to exploit the massive
Marcellus shale formation, critics say there isn't enough capacity to
remove toxic chemicals from waste water. As a result, some waste gets
pumped into rivers and creeks with little or no treatment, critics say.
Some residents have accused tank trucks of dumping waste water on rural
roads.
"Without adequate laws in place, it's our experience at Riverkeeper
that midnight dumping will be an absolute certainty. You see it all the
time," said James Simpson, a staff attorney at environmental group
Riverkeeper.
Another option is to inject waste into wells that are no longer in use.
While this process is common in Gulf Coast drilling sites, geologists
say it is less viable in the U.S. Northeast.
Earlier this month, Chesapeake withdrew an application to store waste
in Pulteney, in New York's Finger Lake region, after community groups
protested the plan.
"I've been consistent in my stance that it's more important to get it
right than to get it fast," Congressman Eric Massa, who opposed the
application, said in a statement. "Ultimately if we don't stake the
necessary steps to protect our land and our water for the next
generation, then we have nothing." (Editing by Alan Elsner and Daniel
Trotta)