2011 Ground Water Protection Council Annual Forum. Meeting Competing Demands with Finite GROUNDWATER Resources. Atlanta, GA September 24-28, 2011

Transcription

1 2011 Ground Water Protection Council Annual Forum Meeting Competing Demands with Finite GROUNDWATER Resources Atlanta, GA September 24-28, 2011 Water/ Energy Division Roundtable Discussion: Haynesville Shale: Significance of Early Adaptive Water Resource Management, Regional/Industry/State Cooperation and a Driver for State Water Use Reform Red River Watershed Management Institute - LSU Shreveport Gary Hanson, Director Amanda Lewis, Assistant to Director

2 Woodford Shale Fayetteville Shale Marcellus Shale Barnett Shale Eagle Ford Shale Haynesville Shale Haynesville Shale AAPG, 2007 LSUS Red River Watershed Management Institute

3 Haynesville: Adaptive Water Resource Management

4 Haynesville: Adaptive Water Resource Management

5 Haynesville: Adaptive Water Resource Management Water status prior to start of Haynesville Play

6 Parishes Overlying Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer NW SE Shreveport/Bossier City LSUS Red River Watershed Management Institute

7 Generalized Geologic Cross-section Northwest Louisiana NW SE Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer Oil, gas & saltwater Midway Shale Lower confining unit After Thorkildsen and Price, 1991 LSUS Red River Watershed Management Institute

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9 Frack water use at start of Haynesville Play (2008)

10 Louisiana Haynesville Shale Activity Map wells LADNR, 2008

11 Moving the gas industry from groundwater to surface water First attempts to acquire permission to set up withdrawal sites on the Red River were met with long delays and what appeared to be inaction by the US Corps of Engineers. Eventually, the Red River Watershed Management Institute joined with the Red River Waterway Commission and organized a meeting between the Corps and some of the natural gas operators at LSUS. Initially formed as a subcommittee of the Water Resources Committee of NW Louisiana (non-statutory)

12 Utilization of Red River Water As a Source For Natural Gas Well Drilling and Stimulation A Working Meeting April 2, 2009 Water Energy Participants: Working Group formed at LSUS US Army Corps of Engineers Vicksburg to address frack Red River Waterway Commission water issues. No Red River Watershed Management Institute surface water Water Resources Committee of NW Louisiana statutes in place Caddo Levee District at state level Natural Gas Industry Representatives: Camterra Resources, Chesapeake Energy, Questar Exploration & Production, and Petrohawk Energy Louisiana Oil and Gas Association Wyatt Overton & Associates Red River Valley Authority

13 Caddo Parish/LSUS GW Monitoring Keithville Compactor Water Level (ft) Winter-Spring Summer Summer J A S O D J F M A M J J A S N J F A M J 2008 Month 2010 Typical Carrizo-Wilcox seasonally influenced water level curve Lewis and Hanson, 2010

14 Caddo Parish/LSUS GW Monitoring 258 Summer South Camp 1 st meeting Water/Energy WG Summer Water Level (ft) Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn. Benjamin Franklin J A S O D J F M A M J J A S N J F A M J 2008 Winter-Spring Month 2010 Water level appeared to be dropping rapidly in this area of heavy drilling & hydraulic fracturing Lewis and Hanson, 2010

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16 CLOSE COORDINATION BETWEEN WATER ENERGY WORKING GROUP & OFFICE OF CONSERVATION HAS BEEN CRITICAL FOR SUCCESS LSUS RRWMI There was no Surface Water Commission

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18 Alternative Sources for Frack Water Red River & Red River Alluvial Aquifer West East RRAA Thin Discontinuous sands Main Aquifer for NW LA Thick Channel sands Non-potable Oil & Gas Zones Generalized Cross-section in Vicinity of RRERP

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20 Frack water use after industry voluntarily shifted to surface water sourcing for Haynesville Play ( ) EXCO Resources built a 9-mile 10 pipeline to provide 12 million gallons/day of wastewater from International Paper Co. to use as frack water

21 As Industry Began to Use Surface Water Sources, the Question of Ownership Arose Louisiana Attorney General released several opinions regarding ownership of surface water These opinions stated that the state of Louisiana owns all running water Running water includes lakes/reservoirs fed by streams Legislation was proposes and passed (ACT 55) that led to the development of a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement for surface water use

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23 LADNR, 2010

24 LADNR, 2010

25 LADNR, 2010

26 Applicants could either pay $.15/thousand gallons of water or submit an Economic Impact Report LADNR, 2010

27 LADNR, 2010

28 Louisiana Haynesville Shale Activity Map Wells $26.6 Billion Well costs

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30 Drought Rainfall in NW Louisiana is about 28 below normal for the last 17 months

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32 Mayo Road Monitoring Well

33 Water Level Change July to August, 2011

34 TRUST ME. I AM FROM THE GOVERNMENT AND I AM HERE TO HELP YOU PLEASE DON T THE MESSENGER! First public meeting since water wells started going dry

35 DNR Declares Ground Water Emergency

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37 One week before the Groundwater Emergency was declared the water levels were checked again Mayo Road well had declined another 5.6 feet After Groundwater Emergency Declaration was in place for 3 weeks, water levels were checked again. The Mayo Road well water level had risen 3.7 feet!

38 Water levels actually increased slightly for all monitoring wells in the Ground Water Emergency Declaration Area

39 Summary Being proactive about evaluating your water resources prior to a gas shale play is critical If not in place, form a regional water resources committee & a water/energy committee Be flexible and adaptive as you work to protect the public and work with industry Work with state authorities, but take action where they cannot Relationships built above will really help if your community is faced with severe drought

40 Acknowledgements: Sponsors of the Water Energy Sustainability Symposium US EPA Region 6 City of Shreveport AEP SWEPCO LSU Shreveport & LSU System Halliburton Anderson Oil & Gas Louisiana Dept. of Natural Resources The Parishes of Caddo, DeSoto, Bossier & Webster, Sabine River Authority & Red River Waterway Commission Members of the Water Energy Working Group