Gas Well Workshop
2012 Second Session Conference Call Topics
Venting
Gas wells vent to the atmosphere. Usually this is just vapors
from the material in the condensate storage tank. Less frequently,
the venting involves other components of the gas well.
In our area there's a well that has a problem with its surface casing/cementing and it continually vents from the surface casing. This is a low volume venting that is accompanied with the sound of bubbling.
Moderate venting to the condensate tank occurs periodically. This is sometimes accompanied with the sound of liquids entering the tank. A person downwind of this can smell a distinct odor two to three hundred feet away.
Occasionally a well will vent at such a volume that the noise is extremely loud and can be heard a mile or more away. When we first heard a well vent like this we thought that it was getting ready to explode. It can be a frightening experience.
The vapors being vented can be explosive and caution must be exercised. Some wells vent compounds that affect the central nervous system.
There's a good YouTube video of a well venting in Doddridge county: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cz-XQ5Dz_gU and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Hb0RHOhlrc. While watching and listening to the video, note the lack of sediment control along the stream's bank and the absence of secondary containment for the condensate storage tank.
Soil
and Water Test Strategies
There are a number of reasons why we choose a particular place
to get a soil sample or to test a water sample.
When examining a site, look for signs of large bare areas surrounded by healthy vegetation. Some wells pads have no healthy vegetation. There may be a large number of deer tracks as an additional indicator of a possible problem. Bare areas can be caused by chloride in the soil killing vegetation or they can be caused by heavy equipment compacting the soil. There may be exposed pit liner or discolored soil with an odd texture. Sometimes it's hard to tell what's causing the problem. In a case like this we'd take a soil sample to test at home, especially if there are unusual signs of animal activity.
If this bare area has a puddle or other form of standing water, it's possible to do a water test on site. This is a quick and easy way of testing, either by using a test strip attached to a shim or by scooping a bit of water into a container without bringing up mud or sediment. Again, animal tracks are a good indication that there may be a problem to test for.
When collecting water samples be aware of the fact that chloride settles to the bottom and center of a water body. If there's been a recent rain, rainwater will be on the surface. If you're testing a puddle, recent rain may dilute the sample. Go ahead and test, but be aware that the concentration you find might be lower than if there'd been no rain.
We've used water and soil sample testing to track high chloride drainage from a closed pit to off site, where it entered a river. Areas to test in a case like this would include site drainage ditches to determine how the waste is leaving the site. Testing water before it enters a well site, as well as after it leaves, can provide valuable data. A complex site like this can take several visits to collect samples and make tests.
If there's an active drill site close to a stream or river, testing should be done in phases. We would test the surface water downstream of the site's drainage as a baseline. Sometimes all that is possible is a sample collected from the edge of a wide and deep river. If you can, try to collect a sample from the center of a shallow stream and from below the surface.
Later tests should be done after fracturing when the pit is closed and automatically after any spill. Spills should be documented and reported to the DEP. If an elevated chloride concentration is found, another test upstream of the site is required to determine if the contamination is from the site.
We consider chloride concentrations of 30 ppm or higher in soil or water as signs of contamination. The state has chronic and acute standards of 230 ppm and 860 ppm for surface water, a secondary MCL of 250 ppm for drinking water, and no standard for soil.
2013 Gas Well Workshop
About the Workshop
Session 1
Session 2
Session 3
Materials Used for the Workshop
Reporting Wells
Gas Well Study is the examination of natural gas wells in West Virginia.
Underground Injection Control Class 2 Wells
These wells are used either for the disposal of oil and gas liquid waste or for the enhanced recovery of oil or natural gas.
Gas Well Study Site Visits
Annual reports, environmental assessments, and individual well information.
YouTube Videos
Select videos from the Gas Well Study YouTube channel.
What Happened at Fernow
An investigation into what caused the vegetation death in the land application area after landspraying hydraulic fracture flowback waste.
The Spill at Buckeye Creek
An investigation into a spill from a Marcellus well site into Buckeye Creek in Doddridge county.