hf-report20121214

Study of the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing
on Drinking Water Resources: Progress Report December 2012
List of Tables
Table 23. Number of wells for which data were provided by each operator .............................................. 51
Table 24. Secondary research questions addressed by extracting data from FracFocus, a nationwide
hydraulic fracturing chemical registry .......................................................................................................... 54
Table 25. Number of wells, by state, with data in FracFocus as of February 2012 ................................... 60
Table 26. Secondary research questions addressed by simulating the subsurface migration of gases and
fluids resulting from six possible mechanisms ............................................................................................ 62
Table 27. Modules combined with the Transport of Unsaturated Groundwater and Heat (TOUGH)......... 71
Table 28. Secondary research question addressed by modeling surface water discharges from
wastewater treatment facilities accepting hydraulic fracturing wastewater ................................................ 75
Table 29. Research questions addressed by modeling water withdrawals and availability in selected river
basins .......................................................................................................................................................... 80
Table 30. Water withdrawals for use in the Susquehanna River Basin ..................................................... 83
Table 31. Well completions for select counties in Colorado within the Upper Colorado River Basin
watershed .................................................................................................................................................... 86
Table 32. Water withdrawals for use in the Upper Colorado River Basin .................................................. 86
Table 33. Estimated total annual water demand for oil and gas wells in Colorado that were hydraulically
fractured in 2010 and 2011 ......................................................................................................................... 88
Table 34. Data and assumptions for future watershed availability and use scenarios modeled for the
Susquehanna River Basin........................................................................................................................... 91
Table 35. Data and assumptions for future watershed availability and use scenarios modeled for the
Upper Colorado River Basin ....................................................................................................................... 91
Table 36. Secondary research questions addressed by the source apportionment research project ....... 94
Table 37. Historical average of monthly mean river flow and range of monthly means from 2006
through 2011 for two rivers in Pennsylvania where the EPA collects samples for source apportionment
research ...................................................................................................................................................... 96
Table 38. Distance between sampling sites and wastewater treatment facilities on two rivers where the
EPA collects samples for source apportionment research ......................................................................... 96
Table 39. Inorganic analyses and respective instrumentation planned for source apportionment
research ...................................................................................................................................................... 97
Table 40. Median concentrations of selected chemicals and conductivity of effluent treated and
discharged from two wastewater treatment facilities that accept oil and gas wastewater .......................... 99
Table 41. Secondary research questions addressed by the wastewater treatability laboratory
studies ....................................................................................................................................................... 101
Table 42. Chemicals identified for initial studies on the adequacy of treatment of hydraulic fracturing
wastewaters by conventional publicly owned treatment works, commercial treatment systems, and water
reuse systems ........................................................................................................................................... 106
Table 43. Secondary research questions potentially answered by studying brominated DBP formation
from treated hydraulic fracturing wastewater ............................................................................................ 107
Table 44. Disinfection byproducts regulated by the National Primary Drinking Water Regulations. ........ 109
Table 45. Chemicals identified for analytical method testing activities .................................................... 114
Table 46. Existing standard methods for analysis of selected hydraulic fracturing-related chemicals listed
in Table 45................................................................................................................................................. 117
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