title: Wastewater Disposal from Unconventional Oil and Gas Development Degrades Stream Quality at a West Virginia Injection Facility.
abstract: The development of unconventional oil and gas (UOG) resources has rapidly increased in recent years; however, the environmental impacts and risks are poorly understood. A single well can generate millions of liters of wastewater, representing a mixture of formation brine and injected hydraulic fracturing fluids. One of the most common methods for wastewater disposal is underground injection; we are assessing potential risks of this method through an intensive, interdisciplinary study at an injection disposal facility in West Virginia. In June 2014, waters collected downstream from the site had elevated specific conductance (416 μS/cm) and Na, Cl, Ba, Br, Sr, and Li concentrations, compared to upstream, background waters (conductivity, 74 μS/cm). Elevated TDS, a marker of UOG wastewater, provided an early indication of impacts in the stream. Wastewater inputs are also evident by changes in (87)Sr/(86)Sr in streamwater adjacent to the disposal facility. Sediments downstream from the facility were enriched in Ra and had high bioavailable Fe(III) concentrations relative to upstream sediments. Microbial communities in downstream sediments had lower diversity and shifts in composition. Although the hydrologic pathways were not able to be assessed, these data provide evidence demonstrating that activities at the disposal facility are impacting a nearby stream and altering the biogeochemistry of nearby ecosystems.
authors.affiliation: U.S. Geological Survey , National Research Program, Reston, Virginia 20192, United States.
authors.forename: Denise M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Akob
authors.affiliation: U.S. Geological Survey , National Research Program, Reston, Virginia 20192, United States.
authors.forename: Adam C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Mumford
authors.affiliation: U.S. Geological Survey , Eastern Energy Resources Science Center, Reston, Virginia 20192, United States.
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Orem
authors.affiliation: U.S. Geological Survey , Eastern Energy Resources Science Center, Reston, Virginia 20192, United States.
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Engle
authors.affiliation: U.S. Geological Survey , National Research Program, Reston, Virginia 20192, United States.
authors.forename: J Grace
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Klinges
authors.affiliation: U.S. Geological Survey , National Research Program, Menlo Park, California 94025, United States.
authors.forename: Douglas B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Kent
authors.affiliation: U.S. Geological Survey , National Research Program, Reston, Virginia 20192, United States.
authors.forename: Isabelle M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Cozzarelli
mesh_terms: D017753:Ecosystem; D004777:Environment; D005290:Ferric Compounds; D062065:Wastewater / Q000737:chemistry*; D014903:West Virginia
chemical_list: D005290:Ferric Compounds; D062065:Wastewater