RAPID, GOALI: Evaluating Groundwater Quality Impacts of Shale Gas Extraction within the Marcellus Shale Play

问题是“页岩气开采是否会导致甲烷、深层卤水或压裂水化学物质污染淡水含水层？”这是一个具有相当大的公众和科学兴趣的话题，而迄今为止的辩论是在根本缺乏数据和合作的情况下进行的。这项研究始于耶鲁大学与一个行业合作伙伴之间的一项合作安排，该安排将促进行业和大学科学家之间的知识和数据交流，并将导致对页岩气开发引起的水质问题的评估。这项研究直接涉及已建立的钻探前基线问题。这项研究将提高我们对钻井作为水、卤水和天然气交叉地层流动的启动机制的认识。本研究在以下方面改进了以往的知识：(1)在钻探气井之前收集的关于地下水水质的时间序列数据，以便将浅层地下水化学的自然变化与页岩气影响区分开来；(2)在页岩气开发的所有阶段测量水质和地下水流量的数据；(3)在战略上选择监测地点，以考虑到气井分支的已知位置，而不是只从随机分布的饮用水井中抽样，而不考虑水文学和潜在的水质损害来源。该项目将提供钻探作为启动跨地层地下流动的一种手段的基础研究。

The question "Does shale gas extraction lead to contamination of freshwater aquifers by methane, deep-formation brines, or frac-water chemicals?" is a topic of considerable public and scientific interest and the debate to date has taken place within a fundamental lack of data and cooperation. This study begins with a cooperative arrangement between Yale and an industry partner that will facilitate the exchange of knowledge and data between industry and university scientists and will lead to an assessment of water quality concerns stemming from shale gas development. The study directly addresses the issue of an established predrilling baseline. The study will improve our knowledge of drilling as an initiating mechanism for cross formational flow of water, brines and gas. The study improves upon previous knowledge with: (i) time series data on groundwater quality to be collected before gas wells are drilled, enabling natural variations in shallow groundwater chemistry to be distinguished from a shale gas effect; (ii) data on water quality and groundwater flow to be measured throughout all stages of shale gas development and (iii) monitoring locations to be chosen strategically to take into account known locations of gas well laterals, rather than sampling only from drinking water wells that are located randomly, without consideration of hydrology and potential sources of water quality impairment. The project will provide fundamental research on drilling as a means of initiating cross formational subsurface flow.