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A boom in Marcellus shale drilling has also created a list of environmental concerns and accelerated the need for research and public policy at state and federal levels, say water quality experts at West Virginia University in Morgantown.

The drilling industry and its potential effects on local rivers and streams --- particularly the Monongahela and its tributaries --- are among the topics to be discussed at a conference next week in Morgantown, W.Va.

"We're having a particular focus this year on water-related regulations," says Paul Ziemkiewicz, director of the West Virginia Water Research Institute.

"Water regulations, if they're done intelligently, will protect the environment and protect the (West Virginia's) economy," he says. "If they're not done properly, they'll do neither or they'll do one at the expense of the other."

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The WVWRI, a program of WVU's National Research Center for Coal and Energy, is also working on a comprehensive water quality monitoring and reporting project for the Monongahela River watershed.

Water samples are collected bi-weekly from 16 sites --- including the Youghiogheny River near Sutersville and the Monongahela River near Elizabeth. The samples are analyzed in a laboratory in Morgantown for total dissolved solids and chemicals that may pose health risks.

Since early 2008, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has issued 3,800 Marcellus shale well permits. West Virginia regulators say about 500 gas wells have been drilled in that state in the last three years, with no signs of letting up.

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Marcellus shale, a geological formation stretching under much of the Appalachian Mountains, is one of the nation's largest reservoirs of natural gas, with at least one estimate saying it could provide inexpensive natural gas for the U.S. for 14 years. A recent report from the American Petroleum Institute estimated it contained gas reserves worth $2 trillion.

Tapping the shale's gas using "fracing" (pronounced "frack-ing") has created environmental concerns. The process requires millions of gallons of fresh water plus small amounts of sand and additives. New York state has not allowed gas well drilling into the shale for two years.

Water treatment plants in McKeesport and Clairton are among those processing used fracing water.

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"Marcellus (shale drilling) has the potential to be a very, very important component of our total water quality picture here," Ziemkiewicz says. "A lot of water is withdrawn to make up hydrofracing operations and a significant amount of water comes back out.

"If that's disposed of properly, then we don't have a problem," he says. "If it's recycled and goes back into the next frac job, we don't have a problem. But to the extent that some of that water can come back out into the environment then you are going to see some impact."

To combat those problems, Ziemkiewicz has received a $600,000 federal grant from the U.S. Department of Energy for a research and demonstration project that aims to facilitate recycling of the returned frac water.

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Removing solids is the first step in almost any water treatment process, but Ziemkiewicz says he is also looking for ways to remove enough of the salt and minerals so that water can be reused on the next natural gas well.

The system will be small enough to be trucked to a gas well for on-site water treatment. Then, instead of trucking untreated frac water off site, the treated water could be used for the next job. A pilot scale version of the system has been operating since March and further testing is under way. Ziemikiewicz also wants to explore ways to reuse treated mine water, either combining it with frac water to help the dilution process or filtering it on its own for reuse.

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Next week's conference, which begins at 9 a.m. Oct. 6, combines educational programs with opportunities for researchers, engineers, policy makers, regulators, agencies and the public to share in the latest information, technologies and research, and will feature water quality experts from around the country.

Four sessions are scheduled for the conference including "New Gas Well Extraction Methods: Does Marcellus Opportunity Mean Water Threats?" Ziemkiewicz is one of the panelists for a forum on total dissolved solids in the Mon.

For more information, call WVU's National Research Center for Coal & Energy at (304) 293-2867.

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(Source: West Virginia University)

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