@article{9e0e526b7734456f95c999d3b5e4d24b,
title = "Exploring controls on halogen and methane occurrence in groundwater of New York State",
abstract = "The expansion of unconventional oil and gas development (UOGD) by means of horizontal drilling and high-volume hydraulic fracturing has been accompanied by concerns regarding the potential impacts to water resources and public health. The ban on UOGD in New York State (NYS) allows the natural processes that control groundwater chemistry and dissolved methane to be evaluated without complications that could arise in regions impacted by prior unconventional shale gas development. We evaluated the controls on the occurrence and spatial variability of methane, chloride, bromine, and iodine, covering much of NYS and encompassing a range of underlying bedrock geologies. Groundwater samples were collected from 108 domestic and public supply wells. Methane concentrations in groundwater ranged from <0.001–84.6 mg/L. The variables most consistently associated with methane occurrence in groundwater included: 1) bedrock geology penetrated by wells, 2) groundwater chemical composition, and 3) confinement characterization of the well. The geochemical parameters iodine, chloride, and sodium/calcium suggested that elevated concentrations of methane were likely associated with deep brines. Elevated methane concentrations were frequently accompanied by both high bromine and iodine concentrations in this study, indicating that the potential of halogens as tracers for dissolved methane needs to be further investigated.",
keywords = "Geology, Groundwater, Hydrology, Iodine, Methane, New York",
author = "Shannon Fisher and Kristina Gutchess and Wanyi Lu and Siegel, {Donald I} and Zunli Lu",
note = "Funding Information: This project was the product of collaborative efforts between Syracuse University, the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) 305(b) Ambient Groundwater Quality Project (305(b) Project), and a regional USGS National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) program. The 305(b) Project is a cooperative project between the USGS and the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) that satisfies the NYSDEC's duties under Section 305(b) the 1977 Amendments of the Federal Clean Water Act (Reddy, 2014). The authors would like to thank homeowners and municipalities for allowing their groundwater wells to be sampled and scientists at the USGS for making sampling arrangements and collecting water samples. We thank Bill Kappel for his advisement and guidance. Special thanks to Ben Fisher, Tia Scott and Jim Reddy for providing data, support, and being crucial to the success of this project. KG was supported by Syracuse University Water Fellowship and NRT: Education Model Program on Water-Energy Research (EMPOWER) at Syracuse University through the National Science Foundation (DGE-1449617). Funding Information: This project was the product of collaborative efforts between Syracuse University, the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) 305(b) Ambient Groundwater Quality Project (305(b) Project), and a regional USGS National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) program. The 305(b) Project is a cooperative project between the USGS and the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) that satisfies the NYSDEC's duties under Section 305(b) the 1977 Amendments of the Federal Clean Water Act ( Reddy, 2014 ). The authors would like to thank homeowners and municipalities for allowing their groundwater wells to be sampled and scientists at the USGS for making sampling arrangements and collecting water samples. We thank Bill Kappel for his advisement and guidance. Special thanks to Ben Fisher, Tia Scott and Jim Reddy for providing data, support, and being crucial to the success of this project. KG was supported by Syracuse University Water Fellowship and NRT: Education Model Program on Water-Energy Research (EMPOWER) at Syracuse University through the National Science Foundation ( DGE-1449617 ). Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2020",
year = "2021",
month = jul,
doi = "10.1016/j.apgeochem.2020.104834",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "130",
journal = "Applied Geochemistry",
issn = "0883-2927",
publisher = "Elsevier",
}