Gradient to Present on Hydraulic Fracturing at AAPG Meeting

Samuel A. Flewelling, Ph.D. will present “Evaluation of Human Health Risks via Drinking Water for Spills of Hydraulic Fracturing Fluids.” We have undertaken a human health risk evaluation for spills, specifically focusing on potential risks to drinking water in basins with shale and other tight oil- and gas-bearing formations. Our approach uses a probabilistic (Monte Carlo) framework to assess the likelihood of releases and chemical transport in a broad range of environmental settings, thus providing much-needed perspective on the overall plausibility of the migration scenarios and associated risks.

Matthew P. Tymchak, M.S. will present “Critical Review of Research on Potential Upward Migration of Hydraulic Fracturing Fluid and Brine.” Several studies have suggested that HF fluid pumped into target formations could migrate upward through overlying rocks and reach shallow, potable groundwater. However, recent modeling work and empirical data point to a lack of evidence for upward HF fluid and brine migration and suggest that the proposed pathway of HF fluid to overlying potable groundwater is unlikely to exist. This talk will evaluate the technical details of these field and modeling studies and will provide a critical review of their findings.

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