Environmental Impact of Hydraulic Fracturing (HF) using Spatial Analysis, Bradford County, Pennsylvania
James McClain2019
Sign up for access to the world's latest research
checkGet notified about relevant papers
checkSave papers to use in your research
checkJoin the discussion with peers
checkTrack your impact
Abstract
Hydraulic fracturing (HF) posed an environmental risk to surface water and groundwater quality. Population relies on the quality of water for basic needs. The objective of the study is to use cluster spatial and slope analysis to determine the HF impact in Bradford County, Pennsylvania environments. Spatial cluster produces an array of fundamental public health questions relating to the effects of HF on the environment. The slope analyzes the elevation of HF to surface water and groundwater. Base on the increase of HF activities, the surface water, and groundwater may be polluted from spill, leakage, and intrusion of fracking fluid. The geospatial information data for the study were collected from the United States Geological Survey (USGS), PA Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP), and the National Bureau of Census. The methods used to analyze the data to determine the spatial cluster in the environment are spatial autocorrelation (Moran's Index), Hotspot analysis (G statistic), Cluster and Outlier analysis (Anselin's Local Moran's Index) and the Empirical Bayesian Kriging. The results were interpreted from high or low G statistic, Moran's Index value, Z-score, and p-value. Pennsylvania Moran's Index 0.29, and Z-score, p-value (37.9, 0.0001) indicate a tendency toward clustering a statistically significant. A positive G statistic & large Z-score indicate a more intense clustering of areas of high values -hotspot and a significantly smaller negative G statistic & Z-score indicates more extreme low values -cold spot. Therefore, Albany, Wilmot, Overton, Terry, and Monroe municipalities have high positive G-statistic and statistically significant (p < 0.05) Z-values indicating hot spot of hydraulic fracturing operation in the county.
Related papers
Spatiotemporal Correlation Analysis of Hydraulic Fracturing and Stroke in the United States
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Hydraulic fracturing or fracking has led to a rapid growth of oil and gas production in the United States, but the impact of fracking on public health is an important but underresearched topic. We designed a methodology to study spatiotemporal correlations between the risk of fracking and stroke mortality. An annualized loss expectancy (ALE) model is applied to quantify the risk of fracking. The geographically and temporally weighted regression (GTWR) model is used to analyze spatiotemporal correlations of stroke mortality, fracking ALE, and nine other socioeconomic- and health-related factors. The analysis shows that fracking ALE is moderately correlated with stroke mortality at ages over 65 in most states of fracking, in addition to cardiovascular disease and drug overdose being positively correlated with stroke mortality. Furthermore, the correlations between fracking ALE and stroke mortality in men appear to be higher than in women near the Marcellus Shale, including Ohio, Penns...
Community-Based Risk Assessment of Water Contamination from High-Volume Horizontal Hydraulic Fracturing
NEW SOLUTIONS: A Journal of Environmental and Occupational Health Policy, 2013
The risk of contaminating surface and groundwater as a result of shale gas extraction using high-volume horizontal hydraulic fracturing (fracking) has not been assessed using conventional risk assessment methodologies. Baseline (pre-fracking) data on relevant water quality indicators, needed for meaningful risk assessment, are largely lacking. To fill this gap, the nonprofit Community Science Institute (CSI) partners with community volunteers who perform regular sampling of more than 50 streams in the Marcellus and Utica Shale regions of upstate New York; samples are analyzed for parameters associated with HVHHF. Similar baseline data on regional groundwater comes from CSI's testing of private drinking water wells. Analytic results for groundwater (with permission) and surface water are made publicly available in an interactive, searchable database. Baseline concentrations of potential contaminants from shale gas operations are found to be low, suggesting that early community-ba...
Hydraulic Fracturing: A Critical Physical Geography Review
Taking a critical physical geography approach, this article provides the first side-by-side review of the physical and social literature on hydraulic fracturing or "fracking" as it is frequently referred to. We note the striking disparities between the physical science literature's description of the relatively manageable impacts of fracking and the almost apocalyptic tone taken in some popular press and critical social science literature. We argue that these disparities may be a result of the dramatic shift in the geography of energy production in the US. The rise of fracking has redistributed environmental injustices beyond traditional national sacrifice zones, such as Appalachia, and towards regions that in many cases are wealthier than Appalachia and have not recently borne the brunt of energy production, causing profound social, cultural, and economic shocks. Reviewing the physical and social science literature together suggests that we reconsider the fracking research agenda. Studies of the physical impacts of hydraulic fracturing should be expanded to address communities' concerns about habitat fragmentation and the impacts of the myriad truck trips required to service fracking wells, neither of which currently are given much attention. Social science research on fracking could benefit from an increase in comparative work, assessing the relative economic and social impacts in regions where energy production is ramping up in relation to regions where it is declining.
High Volume Hydraulic Fracturing In Michigan Integrated Assessment Final Report
2015
his report is part of the Hydraulic Fracturing in Michigan Integrated Assessment (IA) which has been underway since 2012. The guiding question of the IA is, "What are the best environmental, economic, social, and technological approaches for managing hydraulic fracturing in the State of Michigan?" The purpose of the IA is to present information that: • expands and clarifies the scope of policy options, and • allows a wide range of decision makers to make choices based on their preferences and values. As a result, the IA does not advocate for recommended courses of action. Rather, it presents information about the likely strengths, weaknesses, and outcomes of various options to support informed decision making. The project's first phase involved the preparation of technical reports on key topics related to hydraulic fracturing in Michigan which were released by the University of Michigan's Graham Sustainability Institute in September 2013. This document is the final report for the IA.
Assessing Hydraulic Fracking Issues in the US South East and Western Region
Energy and Power, 2021
In the last several years, the choice of hydrological fracking as an alternative method of nonrenewable energy production in the US oil sector continues to gain currency across regions especially the Southeast and the West. In a country where fracking is no longer deemed as an exercise on the fringe amidst unprecedented expansion, economic boom, and ecological liabilities. The use of fracking techniques in shale fields remains so widespread across different states from California to Mississippi that it now constitutes 60% of the nation's oil and gas output in the past two decades. This occurred in the face of favorable regulatory environments that catapulted the US atop global ranking of oil producers. While this has resulted in ample generation of revenues and job prospects in the respective states, communities in those places have endured grim impacts and risks on their ecosystems in the form of pollution, degradation, hydrological stress, induced seismicity, land disturbance and greenhouse gas emissions. Aside from efforts of the sector, regulatory agencies, and other stakeholders in the search for a common ground on the issues. The mounting ecological liabilities has in many cases aggravated tensions between affected communities and the oil sector. Yet, very little studies exist on the vulnerability of the study area to the impacts of hydraulic fracking using mix scale method tools of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and energy statistics. Even when data is available, the sketchy nature tends to mar analytical proficiency given the lack of an accessible regional energy information system. Accordingly, this enquiry will fill that void by assessing the issues in hydraulic fracking in the study area. Emphasis are on the issues, trends, factors, impacts and efforts using techniques of GIS and descriptive statistics. Just as results revealed a surge in production activities and revenues, the impacts consist of large use of water and chemicals together with extensive pollution, the disturbance of fragile landscapes and ecosystem decline. Additionally, GIS mappings pinpointed a gradual spread of production activities and concentration of risks across states in the zone due to several socioeconomic and physical elements located withing the larger energy structure. To remedy the situation, the paper proffered solutions ranging from ecological monitoring to the design of a regional energy information system, effective policy, community participation/education of the public and the formation of an interagency task force.
Landscape Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing Development and Operations on Surface Water and Watersheds
2015
Landscapes and watersheds are complex cultural biogeoclimatic systems that are not easily bounded, measured or understood by a single body of expertise. This makes it very challenging to locate and synthesize the best available science to identify what decision‐makers need to know about landscape and watershed impacts of hydraulic fracturing. ‘Landscape’ is not a physical object as much as it is a spatial context for multiple natural processes and human activities. As such, what decision‐makers need to know depends upon the specific locations and situational conditions in which hydraulic fracturing is operating. Fracking exists in landscape and watershed contexts that are highly variable at different scales and across different regions. There is a relatively high degree of certainty, within predictable engineered limits, about specific well‐based fracking operations. In contrast, there is a lot of uncertainty about how complex social ecological landscape and watershed systems functi...
On Fractured Grounds: the Economic Viability of Planning as a Local Regulatory Tool for Hydraulic Fracturing
2020
As states trend towards a legal hegemony on hydraulic fracturing regulations, municipalities are pushing back through the use of zoning codes and setbacks to curtail the proliferation of oil and gas wells. This study looks at the viability of zoning setbacks as a tool to foster better social and environmental outcomes for regions with grappling with the encroachment of fracking near public drinking water sources, and examines the shifts in regulatory frameworks that may or may not have led to unchecked geospatial distribution of unconventional wells. Moreover, this study uses econometric and shift share analysis to evaluate existing claims of income and employment benefits touted by proponents of increased fracking activity for decreased municipal oversight, focusing specifically on Texas and Pennsylvania. The results of the study point towards a lack of significant impact of an increase in well frequency and well density on median incomes and employment, and that setbacks up to 1 mile from groundwater sources would not significantly diminish extraction rights in Texas or Pennsylvania. 4 The EPA has since amended their previous evaulation of "no evidence of widespread, systemic impacts" of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water source to "evidence that activities in hydraulic fracturing water cycle can impact drinking water resources under some circumstance" (US EPA, 2013) 5 EHN. "Fracking in Pennsylvania Is Too Close to Residents for Safety: Study," August 23, 2018. https://www.ehn.org/pennsylvania-fracking-too-close-to-homes-2598167729.html .
Understanding Local Regulation of Hydro-Fracking: A Spatial Econometric Approach
High volume hydraulic fracturing (HVHF, or fracking), the fracturing of underground shale gas deposits to capture natural gas, is a controversial practice, but one that is thriving in many areas of the United States. Thirty home-rule states (and 9 others with “limited” status) in the U.S. retain the ability for local communities to pass laws beyond the minimums established by their state legislature. We use a comprehensive dataset on local bans and endorsements in New York State, together with local-level census data, and spatial characteristics, linked through GIS, to undertake a spatial econometric analysis of local fracking policies. These data allow us to explore the determinants of local regulation allowing (or banning) fracking activities in New York, our test case state. Our analysis suggests that there are several factors which influence whether or not a local municipality implements a ban or moratorium on fracking. Factors which increase the probability of local restrictions on fracking include a community’s presence in the Utica shale region, the relative leaning of the community to the Democratic Party, and the education level of the local population. Alternately, the degree of local land development, location in highly productive areas of the Marcellus, the number of extant oil and gas wells, presence in priority drinking-water watersheds, if the community is an incorporated village (as opposed to town), and the percentage of wetlands all have a negative impact on the likelihood of a ban or moratorium. In addition, we find, in our spatial lag model, that there are significant spillover effects across communities, pointing to the importance of our spatial econometric approach.
The Effect of Geographic Proximity to Unconventional Oil and Gas Development on Public Support for Hydraulic Fracturing
Risk analysis : an official publication of the Society for Risk Analysis, 2018
With the rapid growth of unconventional oil and natural gas development transforming the U.S. economic and physical landscape, social scientists have increasingly explored the spatial dynamics of public support for this issue-that is, whether people closer to unconventional oil and gas development are more supportive or more opposed. While theoretical frameworks like construal-level theory and the "Not in My Backyard" (or NIMBY) moniker provide insight into these spatial dynamics, case studies in specific locations experiencing energy development reveal substantial variation in community responses. Larger-scale studies exploring the link between proximity and support have been hampered by data quality and availability. We draw on a unique data set that includes geo-coded data from national surveys (nine waves; n = 19,098) and high-resolution well location data to explore the relationship between proximity and both familiarity with and support for hydraulic fracturing. We u...
Related topics
Related papers
Environmental Impact Assessments and Hydraulic Fracturing: Lessons from Two U.S. States
Case Studies in the Environment
Although the United States has been stimulating well production with hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”)1 since the 1940s [1], high-volume hydraulic fracturing (HVHF) combined with horizontal drilling is a relatively recent [2, 3] development with potential to adversely impact human health [4], environment [5], and water resources [6], with uncertainty about impacts and gaps in the data on HVHF compared to conventional drilling techniques [7]. Part of protecting environmental and public health is identifying potential risks before licenses are issued and drilling operations proceed. To this end, two case studies, focusing on the environmental impact assessment (EIA) procedures of California and New York, are analyzed in this paper. Both states have histories of strong environmental protection law and policy [8–10] and legally require an EIA to be conducted before development of HVHF sites [11, 12], an outgrowth of the 1969 federal National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). New York Sta...
Conceptual model development using a generic Features, Events, and Processes (FEP) database for assessing the potential impact of hydraulic fracturing on groundwater aquifers
Advances in Geosciences
Hydraulic fracturing for natural gas extraction from unconventional reservoirs has not only impacted the global energy landscape but has also raised concerns over its potential environmental impacts. The concept of "features, events and processes" (FEP) refers to identifying and selecting the most relevant factors for safety assessment studies. In the context of hydraulic fracturing we constructed a comprehensive FEP database and applied it to six key focused scenarios defined under the scope of FracRisk project (http://www.fracrisk.eu, last access: 17 August 2018). The FEP database is ranked to show the relevance of each item in the FEP list per scenario. The main goal of the work is to illustrate the FEP database applicability to develop a conceptual model for regional-scale stray gas migration.
Critical Review of Risks to Water Resources from Hydraulic Fracturing
Since the early 2000s, oil and natural gas production in the United States have been transformed through technological innovation. Hydraulic fracturing, combined with advanced directional drilling techniques, made it possible to economically extract oil and gas resources previously inaccessible. The resulting surge in production increased domestic energy supplies and brought economic benefits to many areas of the United States. The growth in domestic oil and gas production also raised concerns about potential impacts to human health and the environment, including potential effects on the quality and quantity of drinking water resources. Some residents living close to oil and gas production wells have investigated changes in the quality of drinking water and assert that hydraulic fracturing is responsible for these changes. Other concerns include competition for water between hydraulic fracturing activities and other water users, especially in areas of the country experiencing drought, and the disposal of wastewater generated from hydraulic fracturing. This investigation synthesizes available scientific literature and data to assess the potential for hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas to change the quality or quantity of drinking water resources, and identifies factors affecting the frequency or severity of potential changes. This investigation can be used by federal, tribal, state, and local officials; industry; and the public to better understand and address any vulnerabilities of drinking water resources to hydraulic fracturing activities.
Modeling and Environmental Analysis of Hydraulic Fracturing in Upstate New York
2012
This study provides a comprehensive examination of the various aspects of hydraulic fracturing in Upstate New York. A model was developed to determine the effect of process parameters on gas production; predictions of the model were shown to match public data from Marcellus Shale wells. The model demonstrated that utilizing fracturing pressures of 40-50 MPa could produce an equivalent amount of natural gas over a 30 year period while mitigating damage to rock structures. An average well produces 1.0-3.5 million gallons of highly contaminated brine called flowback water. Chemical analysis showed that effluents have high concentrations of barium, strontium, and lead, and exhibit beta decay, most likely attributed to Pb210 isotopes. These measurements are perhaps the first documentation of metal ion concentrations and radioactivity in hydraulic fracturing effluent. An ‘established ecosystem’ experiment showed that heavy metals may accumulate in B. rapa plant tissues, thus allowing for ...
Geological structure, geomechanical perturbations, and variability in hydraulic fracturing performance at the scale of a square mile
Geomechanics for Energy and the Environment, 2019
This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the addition of a cover page and metadata, and formatting for readability, but it is not yet the definitive version of record. This version will undergo additional copyediting, typesetting and review before it is published in its final form, but we are providing this version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that, during the production process, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.
Toward Consistent Methodology to Quantify Populations in Proximity to Oil and Gas Development: A National Spatial Analysis and Review
Environmental Health Perspectives
BACKGROUND: Higher risk of exposure to environmental health hazards near oil and gas wells has spurred interest in quantifying populations that live in proximity to oil and gas development. The available studies on this topic lack consistent methodology and ignore aspects of oil and gas development of value to public health-relevant assessment and decision-making. OBJECTIVES: We aim to present a methodological framework for oil and gas development proximity studies grounded in an understanding of hydrocarbon geology and development techniques. METHODS: We geospatially overlay locations of active oil and gas wells in the conterminous United States and Census data to estimate the population living in proximity to hydrocarbon development at the national and state levels. We compare our methods and findings with existing proximity studies. RESULTS: Nationally, we estimate that 17.6 million people live within 1,600 m (∼ 1 mi) of at least one active oil and/or gas well. Three of the eight studies overestimate populations at risk from actively producing oil and gas wells by including wells without evidence of production or drilling completion and/or using inappropriate population allocation methods. The remaining five studies, by omitting conventional wells in regions dominated by historical conventional development, significantly underestimate populations at risk. CONCLUSIONS: The well inventory guidelines we present provide an improved methodology for hydrocarbon proximity studies by acknowledging the importance of both conventional and unconventional well counts as well as the relative exposure risks associated with different primary production categories (e.g., oil, wet gas, dry gas) and developmental stages of wells.
The Environmental, Social, and Economic Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing
The following research study was carried out in order to contemplate upon the economic, social and environmental impacts of hydraulic fracturing in U.S. In addition, the present research study also provided comprehensive plan, in the form of key recommendations, for oil and gas industry to minimize the impacts of hydraulic fracturing. Furthermore, in contention to the primary objectives of the research study, the researcher also evaluated certain secondary research aims as well.
Leading Safety, Health, and Environmental Indicators in Hydraulic Fracturing
SPE Western Regional Meeting, 2015
Increasing number of hydraulic fracturing operations necessitates paying more attention to the safety and environmental considerations of this technology. In-depth understanding of the complex nature and root-causes of incidents related to the hydraulic fracturing operation is a prerequisite for any proactive risk mitigation strategy. Many of the safety and environmental incidents during the development of shale resources are widely regarded by public as results of hydraulic fracturing operation. Differentiation among multiple steps of developing oil and gas resources allows an independent root cause analysis. In this approach incidents that are not directly caused by underground injection of fracturing fluid can be highlighted. These incidents can be treated in the same manner as common incidents in conventional production. In this research the hydraulic fracturing operation is broken down into its components and potential risks are investigated. Also, leading safety and environmental indicators for this industry are defined and case-studies are investigated to find the connections between the incidents and the proposed indicators.
Loading Preview
Sorry, preview is currently unavailable. You can download the paper by clicking the button above.