title: Temporal variation in groundwater quality in the Permian Basin of Texas, a region of increasing unconventional oil and gas development.
abstract: The recent expansion of natural gas and oil extraction using unconventional oil and gas development (UD) practices such as horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing has raised questions about the potential for environmental impacts. Prior research has focused on evaluations of air and water quality in particular regions without explicitly considering temporal variation; thus, little is known about the potential effects of UD activity on the environment over longer periods of time. Here, we present an assessment of private well water quality in an area of increasing UD activity over a period of 13months. We analyzed samples from 42 private water wells located in three contiguous counties on the Eastern Shelf of the Permian Basin in Texas. This area has experienced a rise in UD activity in the last few years, and we analyzed samples in four separate time points to assess variation in groundwater quality over time as UD activities increased. We monitored general water quality parameters as well as several compounds used in UD activities. We found that some constituents remained stable over time, but others experienced significant variation over the period of study. Notable findings include significant changes in total organic carbon and pH along with ephemeral detections of ethanol, bromide, and dichloromethane after the initial sampling phase. These data provide insight into the potentially transient nature of compounds associated with groundwater contamination in areas experiencing UD activity.
authors.affiliation: Collaborative Laboratories for Environmental Analysis and Remediation, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, United States; Inform Environmental, LLC, Dallas, TX 75206, United States. Electronic address: zac@informenv.com.
authors.forename: Zacariah L
authors.initials: ZL
authors.lastname: Hildenbrand
authors.affiliation: Collaborative Laboratories for Environmental Analysis and Remediation, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, United States; Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, United States.
authors.forename: Doug D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Carlton
authors.affiliation: Collaborative Laboratories for Environmental Analysis and Remediation, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, United States.
authors.forename: Brian E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Fontenot
authors.affiliation: Collaborative Laboratories for Environmental Analysis and Remediation, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, United States; Department of Biological Sciences, Tarleton State University, Stephenville, TX 76401, United States.
authors.forename: Jesse M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Meik
authors.affiliation: Collaborative Laboratories for Environmental Analysis and Remediation, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, United States.
authors.forename: Jayme L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Walton
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, United States.
authors.forename: Jonathan B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Thacker
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, United States.
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Korlie
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, United States.
authors.forename: C Phillip
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Shelor
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, United States.
authors.forename: Akinde F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Kadjo
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Science, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76706, United States.
authors.forename: Adelaide
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Science, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76706, United States.
authors.forename: Sascha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Usenko
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76203, United States.
authors.forename: Jason S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Hamilton
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76203, United States.
authors.forename: Phillip M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Mach
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76203, United States.
authors.forename: Guido F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Verbeck
authors.affiliation: Department of Geography, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76203, United States.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hudak
authors.affiliation: Collaborative Laboratories for Environmental Analysis and Remediation, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, United States; Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, United States. Electronic address: kschug@uta.edu.
authors.forename: Kevin A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Schug
mesh_terms: D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D019652:Extraction and Processing Industry; D060587:Groundwater / Q000737:chemistry*; D000067071:Hydraulic Fracking; D059206:Natural Gas; D061329:Oil and Gas Fields; D013781:Texas; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*; D060753:Water Quality; D060986:Water Wells
chemical_list: D059206:Natural Gas; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Groundwater; Permian Basin; Shale energy; Unconventional oil and gas development