EPA Draft Links Fracking, Groundwater Contamination in Wyoming Town

December 9th, 2011
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Hydraulic fracturing, the ubiquitous oil-and-gas production technique used across the country that pumps fluid into wells under pressure to fracture rock and release oil and gas, has been linked for the first time to groundwater pollution in a case near Pavillion.

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The finding by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday set off calls for tighter rules on the fracking process.

“This could be a game changer,” said Frank Smith, an organizer with the Western Colorado Congress, an environmental group.

Wyoming Governor Mead called for more research, warning the EPA study could have “a critical impact on the energy industry and the country. On Thursday, he labeled the draft study as “scientifically questionable,” noting that more testing is needed.

“We believe that the draft study could have a critical impact on the energy industry and on the country so it is imperative that we not make conclusions based on only four data points. Those familiar with the scientific method recognize that it would not be appropriate to make a judgment without verifying all of the testing that has been done.”

The EPA has been investigating water quality concerns in private drinking water wells in Pavillon since 2008. During the last several years, the community of Pavillion, the state of Wyoming, and the owner of the gas field, Encana Corp., have joined EPA to assess the water quality and identify potential sources of contamination. After meeting with the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, EPA began sampling drinking water wells in 2009; a second sampling took place last year.

The testing involved constructed two deep monitoring wells to sample water in the aquifer. The draft findings indicated that the groundwater in the aquifer contained compounds likely associated with fracking, according to the federal agency. It also re-tested private and public drinking water wells in the community and found the samples were consistent with chemicals identified in earlier EPA results released in 2010 and are generally below established health and safety standards.

The problem of leaking pits is one that Encana inherited when it bought the field and it has been working with state regulators to clean up. Encana had planned to sell it to Legacy Reserves, based in Midland, TX. But Legacy has terminated the agreement for the proposed acquisition of the properties.

The EPA study “gives a probability, not a conclusion,” said Douglas Hock, a spokesman for Calgary-based Encana Corp., the operator in the Pavillion field. Hock pointed out that the origin of the chemicals is still not certain.

Another important point emphasized by the federal agency is that its draft findings are “specific to Pavillion, where the fracturing is taking place in and below the drinking water aquifer and in close proximity to drinking water wells — production conditions different from those in many other areas of the country.”

Indeed, there are major differences between the the fracking process in Wyoming and here in Colorado.

The wells in Pavillion were drilled to a depth of about 1,200 feet, and the surface casing — pipe to protect groundwater — went to roughly 360 feet, leaving part of the aquifer exposed, according to the EPA report. In Colorado, wells are drilled to oil-and-gas zones 6,000 to 12,000 feet deep, except for shallower coal-bed methane wells.

Colorado rules require that surface casing extend below the aquifers, which are usually no more than 1,000 feet deep, and the casing must be surrounded by a cement jacket.

As we reported this week in Colorado Energy News, the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission is slated to vote on a proposal next week that would require drillers to publicly disclose the ingredients of their fracking fluids. Commenting on the Pavillion results, Dave Neslin the COGCC director, said the commission would take it into consideration and that ‘Colorado has rules to protect ground and surface water.’


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