Methane From Fracking Sites Flows To Abandoned Wells, According To New Study
Hydraulic fracking could be a potential source that is releasing the potent greenhouse gas methane during operations, which can flow into abandoned wells, according to a new study at the University of Vermont.
The study found that abandoned oil and gas wells near fracking sites could be a channel for methane to escape, an event which is currently not being measured, according to researchers James Montague, the study's lead author and environmental engineering doctoral student at the University of Vermont, and George Pinder, professor of environmental engineering at the university.
The EPA made a proposal this month with the hope to limit the release of potent greenhouse gases that are produced from fracking. Fractures in rocks, due to the hydraulic fracturing, can connect to preexisting, abandoned oil and gas wells that're common in fracking areas, which can provide a pathway to the surface for methane, according to a news release.
"The debate over the new EPA rules needs to take into account the system that fracking operations are frequently part of, which includes a network of abandoned wells that can effectively pipeline methane to the surface," said Montague.
In the study, the researchers focused on an area in New York state that has an underlining shale formation, the Marcellus Shale, which had been fracked until a ban went into effect in the state in the summer of 2015. Layers of composed shale and hydrocarbons have been under the land since the 1880s, when American oil companies began operating.
There is an average of 40,000 existing wells in New York, and 30,000 of them are located within the footprint of the Marcellus formation, whcih are documented by the Department of Environmental Conservation.
The ecological footprint is a measure of human demand on the earth's ecosystems and the amount of natural resources used each year. The footprint of a region could be contrasted with the natural resources it generates.
The locations of many wells are unknown, so in their study, the researchers used a mathematical model to predict the outcomes. The model put the probability that new fracking-induced fractures in the Marcellus formation would connect to an existing well bore between .03 percent and 3 percent, according to the researchers.
All fracking sites are different and not all abandoned wells provide a pathway for methane to surface. Those that are damaged could be a conduit for methane, and based on the large numbers of abandoned wells, could be potential environmental risk, according to Pinder.
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