Soil Erosion and Surface Water Quality Impacts of Natural Gas Development in East Texas, USA

Abstract

Due to greater demands for hydrocarbons and improvements in drilling technology, development of oil and natural gas in some regions of the United States has increased dramatically. A 1.4 ha natural gas well pad was constructed in an intermittent stream channel at the Alto Experimental Watersheds in East Texas, USA (F1), while another 1.1 ha well pad was offset about 15 m from a nearby intermittent stream (F2). V-notch weirs were constructed downstream of these well pads and stream sedimentation and water quality was measured. For the 2009 water year, about 11.76 cm, or almost 222% more runoff resulted from F1 than F2. Sediment yield was significantly greater at F1, with 13,972 kg ha ). Significantly greater nitrogen and phosphorus losses were measured at F1 than F2. While oil and gas development can degrade surface water quality, appropriate conservation practices like retaining streamside buffers can mitigate these impacts.

Financing Watershed Services in the Foothills of the Himalayas

“…Grazing is another common driver of deforestation and soil erosion [30]. Soil erosion, in turn, can affect both water quality and quantity, damaging water treatment facilities and water storage tanks [31,32]. Currently, some 32 hectares of the Sardukhola watershed are affected by landslides, with erosion increasing during the rainy summers [25].…”

Evaluating relationships between native fishes and habitat in streams affected by oil and natural gas development

“…; EOG ; EPA ). Disturbance of soils and vegetation (surface disturbance) as a result of roads, pipelines, well pads and processing facilities fragments habitat (Weller, Thomson, Morton & Aplet, ) and denudes vegetation, leading to soil erosion and increased stream sediment load (Entrekin et al., ; McBroom, Thomas & Zhang, ; Reid, Metikosh & Ade, ). An existing research gap is if and how surface disturbance affects riparian and stream habitat and, thus, fish populations (Entrekin, Austin, Evans‐White & Haggard, ).…”

“…Hydrocarbons, saline water produced during hydrocarbon extraction and lubricants used for drilling can contaminate surface and groundwater; spills of these liquids are stochastic and vary greatly in their effect (BLM et al 1983;EOG 2012;EPA 2010). Disturbance of soils and vegetation (surface disturbance) as a result of roads, pipelines, well pads and processing facilities fragments habitat (Weller, Thomson, Morton & Aplet, 2002) and denudes vegetation, leading to soil erosion and increased stream sediment load (Entrekin et al, 2011;McBroom, Thomas & Zhang, 2012;Reid, Metikosh & Ade, 2004). An existing research gap is if and how surface disturbance affects riparian and stream habitat and, thus, fish populations (Entrekin, Austin, Evans-White & Haggard, 2018).…”

Ecology and distribution of large branchiopods (Crustacea, Branchiopoda, Anostraca, Notostraca, Laevicaudata, Spinicaudata) of the Eastern Cape Karoo, South Africa

“…This lack of information is of concern, particularly given that the region has recently been earmarked for shale gas exploration through hydraulic fracturing methods (Econometrix 2012, Geel et al 2015, Tucker and van Tonder 2015, Murray et al 2015). The hydraulic fracturing process uses large amounts of water and in turn produces large amounts of briny waste water, which when mismanaged may pollute both surface and groundwater systems (McBroom et al 2012, Mauter et al 2014). This may compound problems associated with water scarcity in this naturally arid region, which is already experiencing drier conditions as a result of climate change (Hewitson and Crane 1996, Cubasch et al 2013).…”