REPORT

Gas well integrity and methane migration: evaluation of publishedevidence during shale-gas development in the USA

Patrick A. Hammond1& Tao Wen2

& Susan L. Brantley2 & Terry Engelder3

Received: 14 August 2019 /Accepted: 11 January 2020# The Author(s) 2020

AbstractMore than 1 million wells may have been completed using hydraulic fracturing techniques in the USA alone; however, there havebeen few case studies exploring the impacts on water resources due to methane migration. This study evaluated the results ofthree investigations initiated by the US Environmental Protection Agency, that were subsequently described in published studiesat Dimock in Pennsylvania, Parker-Hood County in Texas, and Pavillion in Wyoming, as well as another study completed atSugar Run in northeast Pennsylvania. In addition, earlier investigations at Shaws Corner in Pennsylvania, Jackson County inWest Virginia, Garfield County in Colorado, and Bainbridge in Ohio are summarized. The most common cause of incidents wasthe presence of uncemented sections of production casings in wells that allowed gas migration from intermediate depths toshallow freshwater aquifers. In three cases, an inadequate depth of the primary top of cement (TOC) also contributed to impacts.Sources of methane were best identified through analyses of isotopes on samples from production casings, annular spaces, andwater wells. In Dimock, some isotope signatures changed with time, after the completion of remedial actions. In Parker-HoodCounty, where impacts were not related to gas well activity, noble gas analyses were also needed to determine the source of gas.At Pavillion, where maximum methane concentrations in water wells were <1 mg/L, no significant impacts were documented.For all the sites, most or all of the fugitive gas incidents may have been prevented by fully cementing production casings to theland surface.

Keywords Stable isotopes . USA . Hydraulic fracturing .Methanemigration .Well integrity

Introduction

Migration of stray methane gas has been at the center of thedebate on the impacts caused by shale gas drilling and hydrau-lic fracturing activities on the quality of shallow drinking wa-ter resources. While not a regulated contaminant, methane can

accumulate to explosive levels and cause asphyxiation in con-fined spaces, as well as initiate adverse chemical reactionssuch as the reduction of iron and manganese compounds inwell water (Gorody 2012; Woda et al. 2018). In the late1940’s, hydraulic fracturing was developed to increase pro-duction from conventional oil and gas wells. By 2002 in theBarnett Shale in Texas, USA, wells in unconventional reser-voirs such as low-permeability shale were being developedusing horizontal drilling and high volume hydraulic fracturing(HVHF). HVHF procedures are also used for production ofhydrocarbons from other “tight” formations (sandstones, silt-stones, and carbonates) and coalbeds. The US EnvironmentalProtection Agency (US EPA 2016) reports that more than300,000 wells may have been completed using HVHF tech-niques since 2000, about half in the state of Texas.

The primary way to protect drinking water resources fromgas migration during development of gas wells is to effective-ly cement the well casings. A typical gas well consists ofconductor, surface and, sometimes, intermediate casings.After cementing each casing, a production casing is extended

Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article(https://doi.org/10.1007/s10040-020-02116-y) contains supplementarymaterial, which is available to authorized users.

* Patrick A. Hammondpatrick.hammond@maryland.gov; phammond@broadstripe.net

1 Maryland Department of the Environment, 1800 Washington Blvd,Baltimore, MD 21230, USA

2 Earth and Environmental Systems Institute, Pennsylvania StateUniversity, 2217 EES Building, University Park, PA 16802, USA

3 Pennsylvania State University, 443 Deike Building, UniversityPark, PA 16802, USA

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10040-020-02116-yHydrogeology Journal (2020) 28:1481–1502

/Published online: 26 February 2020

to the target formation. This last casing is usually allowed byregulators in the United States to be open to rock(uncemented) for several hundred or thousand feet (tens toseveral hundred meters), until a few hundred feet (commonly61–152 m or 200–500 ft) above the target. One exception ofthe major producing states is Arkansas (Fayetteville Shale),which, after June 2011 required extension of the productioncasing and its cement to the land surface. Cement placed in theannulus between the casing and bedrock strengthens thewellbore, is intended to protect the casing against corrosion,and isolates overlying aquifers from the underlying produc-tion zone. Cement shrinkage, however, can create an unin-tended cement annulus. Casings may leak due to mechanicaland chemical failures such as poor pipe connections, welldeviation, corrosion, thermal stress, or excessive pressuresduring drilling, hydraulic fracturing or production; however,the most common cause of stray gas migration is uncementedor poorly cemented annular spaces (Watson and Bachu 2009).

During drilling and before cementation, gas may migratedue to underbalanced annular fluids. After cementation, meth-ane may migrate within days or weeks, if the cement volumeshrank as it sets, allowing formation of high-permeability mi-cro-annuli and channels (Vidic et al. 2013). Even after monthsor years, stray gas may migrate if stress promotes circumfer-ential fractures in the cement. Such fractures can be propagat-ed upward by the slow accumulation of gas under pressurebehind the casing. Channels can also form in cement if acasing breaks, leaks or is left uncemented. Acid treatmentsand acid gas may also corrode cement (Watson and Bachu2008).

Dusseault and Jackson (2014) indicate that target zones arenot necessarily the source of migrated methane in problematicwells. Most primary cement jobs are effective due to the use ofhigh-quality cement and high hydrostatic pressures at depthproducing dense cements that seal annuli, preventing annulargas flow. In addition, target zones have low regional pressuresas they become depleted by production (Dusseault et al.2014); however, many stray gas impacts have occurred priorto production from the gas wells. The source of migratedmethane is frequently a “gas show” in an intermediate-depthzone that has not been adequately sealed because, for exam-ple, of permeability developed in cement due to gas entrain-ment, chemical reactions, physical impacts or temperaturechanges. In such cases, gas flows upward through the annulusand into shallow drinking-water aquifers. To remediate theproblem, a “squeeze” operation is usually performed to fillthe void space with material such as cement. Holes are blastedin the casing using a perforation gun, the casing is sealed off,and cement is squeezed under pressure through the perfora-tions into the annular space.

Dusseault et al. (2014) indicate that less than 50% of sec-ondary squeeze cementation jobs of shallow and intermediateformations fail, a rate they attribute to low quality cements that

result in poor seals. In addition, Wojtanowicz et al. (2001)suggested that they may fail due to the difficulty of gettingfull circumferential coverage in the annular spaces during in-jection of cement from wellbores through perforations.Venting of a gas well is also used sometimes to reduce oreliminate methane migration, which leads to undesirable gasemissions to the atmosphere.

Regional studies have shown that water wells are only im-pacted infrequently by development of gas wells with HVHF.Those studies generally investigate single samples from mul-tiple water wells or regulatory databases across large areas.Such broad studies (e.g., Siegel et al. 2015) often show littlecorrelation between the location of shale gas wells and waterquality incidents; however, spatially resolved studies of thesame datasets show that incidents may be identified withinthe broader datasets (Li et al. 2016, 2017; Wen et al. 2018).Thus, while these studies successfully demonstrate broadtrends, they cannot definitively document spatial and temporalchanges at site-specific levels. The present study reviews thescientific literature for case histories that can demonstrate howmethane migration is related to gas well construction. Despitethe large number of HVHF wells drilled to date, there are fewsites with detailed investigations of stray gas migration thathave been published.

Although the site investigations published to date arefew in number, they have incorporated many advancedforensic techniques that were not always available for in-vestigations of earlier incidents, some of which occurredbefore the advent of modern techniques of HVHF, such asthose in Shaws Corner, Crawford County, PA; the Parson’swell, Jackson County, West Virginia (WV); Mamms Creek,Garfield County, Colorado (CO); and BainbridgeTownship, Ohio (OH). These incidents are described inthe electronic supplementary material (ESM). Three ofthe better studied sites have been extremely well publi-cized in public media and investigated by the US EPA:incidents at Dimock, Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania(PA), in 2011; Parker County, Texas (TX), in 2010; andPavillion, Fremont County, Wyoming (WY), in 2008. Alarge amount of valuable data was collected by the USEPA, state agencies and oil and gas operators; however,the US EPA never published final reports. Since 2011,multiple peer-reviewed papers have been published aboutthose cases but often reached different conclusions, espe-cially about the source of any migrated methane. This re-port will present a review of the results of each of thosestudies, with independent interpretations of the data col-lected at each site. The results of an additional case inSugar Run in Bradford County, PA, will also be presentedbecause of the large dataset available for that site. (Note:This site is not the Sugar Run in Lycoming County recentlydiscussed by Woda et al. 2018). Figure 1 is a map of theUnited States showing the locations of these sites.

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Case study: Dimock, Pennsylvania

Case study overview

Dimock, a small town in Susquehanna County, northeasternPennsylvania, received international attention as incidents ofmethane contamination of water wells in 2009 were publi-cized. Osborn et al. (2011) presented evidence that methanecontamination of drinking water wells was associated withshale-gas extraction within 1 km of water wells, with abouthalf of samples collected in the Dimock study area. The au-thors suggested the most likely gas migration mechanism wasleakage through gas-well casings, from either the Marcellus(Pennsylvania) and/or underlying Utica shale (New York) for-mations. A contrasting view was promoted by Molofsky et al.(2011, 2013) who assessed samples taken from about 1,700“predrill” samples from water wells in Susquehanna County,including Dimock Township. Because of the prevalence ofhydrocarbon development in Pennsylvania, such datasets notonly yield data for “pre-drill” water chemistry but also yielddata for water after drilling of earlier gas wells. Data they

presented for wells in the Dimock study area were not includ-ed in their statistical analyses, and no specific locations werepublished for individual analyses. The average concentrationof their water samples was 0.7 mg/L, while 3% exceeded thewarning level of 10 mg/L and only 0.2% exceeded the imme-diate action level of 28 mg/L. The action levels are fromEltschlager et al. (2001). The authors indicated that methanewas common in shallow groundwater and that methane con-centrations correlated with surface topography, but not withproximity to existing gas wells. In 2012, the US EPA collectedsamples from 59 house wells in the Dimock area, and reportedmethane concentrations ≥28 mg/L in five samples (8.5%) andan average was 9.0 mg/L (US EPA 2012).

Hammond (2016) summarized the changes in the temporaland spatial variations of concentrations, and isotopic charac-teristics of methane and ethane in 18 water wells as related tospecific activities during gas well development at eight pads(13 gas wells) about 1 mi southeast of Dimock (Fig. 2). TheUpper Devonian sandstones of the Catskill Formation are theprimary aquifer for local water wells. The siliceous UnionSprings Member of the Middle Devonian Marcellus

Wyoming

Colorado

Texas

Arkansas

WestVirginia

OhioPennsylvania

Sugar Run

ShawsCorner

Bainbridge

Dimock

Parson'sWell

ParkerCounty

MammCreek

Pavillion

United States of America

Canada

Mexico³ 0 500Kilometers

Fig. 1 Location map. The blue features are where incidents included inthe ESM are located: Crawford County, Pennsylvania (Shaws Corner);Geauga County, Ohio (Bainbridge Township); Jackson County, WestVirginia (Parson’s well) and Garfield County, Colorado (Mamm Creek).The red features are where the case studies in the main text are located:

Susquehanna County (Dimock) and Bradford County (Sugar Run),Pennsylvania; Parker County, Texas (Parker County) and FremontCounty, Wyoming (Pavillion). Basemap from: Ersi, Garmin,OpenStreetMap contributors, and the GIS community

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Formation is the primary target of shale-gas exploration in thestudy area. Gas shows are present in other, but nonproducing,Middle Devonian Formations at intermediate depths.

In some cases, “geochemical fingerprinting” can be used toidentify methane sources by analyzing carbon and deuteriumisotopes of methane (Schoell 1983). Thermogenic methane(CH4) originates from the burial of organic sedimentary matterat high temperatures; while biogenic methane is produced byeither bacterial fermentation or from the bacterially-mediatedreduction of carbon dioxide. The use of the isotope ratios ofδ13C-CH4 (δ

13C1) in combination with the ratios of δ2H-CH4

(δDC1) can sometimes distinguish the two different sources.There are complications to the interpretation of sources usingδ13C1- δDC1 data (Baldassare et al. 2014).

Isotope analyses were reviewed for samples taken fromgas and water wells in the study area and are shown in aSchoell diagram, Fig. 3. The first samples were collected

by the Pennsylvania Department of EnvironmentalProtection (PA DEP) in 2009 from gas well annularspaces and water wells along Carter Road, prior to anyremedial actions (Hammond 2016). Follow-on sampleswere analyzed by the PA DEP and the operator’s consul-tant, Civil and Environmental Consultants, Inc. (CEC), in2010, and the US EPA in 2012. In addition, PA DEP andthe operator analyzed samples taken from production cas-ings and a gas pipeline. The 2009 data for five waterwells and the annular spaces of three gas wells arecontained in one cluster, while there is a second clusterconsisting of the data for the more enriched productiongas samples. The low concentration (<10 mg/L) of the2012 US EPA samples are generally more isotopicallyenriched than the 2009 results, while the higher concen-tration samples are generally more depleted. The 2010samples have relatively high concentrations and tend to

Fig. 2 Geologic map of studyarea one mile southeast ofDimock, Susquehanna County,Pennsylvania (reproduced fromHammond, 2016)

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be similar to or more isotopically depleted than the 2009data.

Baldassare et al. (2014) analyzed isotopes in samples col-lected during mud gas logging (MGL) programs in northeast-ern Pennsylvania. The trend of the MGL data matches that ofthe Dimock data, although offset in δ13C1 by about 2–3‰.These results indicate that the source of methane for the 2009samples could be the intermediate-depth formations immedi-ately above the Marcellus Shale (either or both of the MiddleDevonian units (Mahantango Shale and Tully Limestone). Asdescribed by Hammond (2016), samples collected after 2009and the completion of gas well remediation efforts oftenshowed microbial alteration or evidence of a microbial sourceas summarized in the ESM. Some of these samples arediscussed in the following.

Gas well 1 (GW-1) methane migration and welloperations

Gas well GW-1 was drilled to 2,271 m and completed onAugust 31, 2008 (Fig. 4). The intermediate casing was setand cemented between land surface and 468 m. The depth ofthe primary top of the cement (TOC) was in the PurcellLimestone at 2,164 m or only 9 m above the top of theLower Marcellus Shale. Although there is no record, this in-dicates that circulation may have been lost at that depth ordrilling mud did not return to the surface, due to the potentialsecondary porosity and permeability of the limestone member.The cement was described as either absent or “ratty” abovethat depth, indicating that there was nearly 1,700 m of an openborehole across the Mahantango Shale. Therefore, gas in theMahantango Shale, where 17 Mm3/day of gas condensate

were measured to be flowing at 1,801 m, could have migratedupward to nearby house wells. The completion report for GW-1 indicated that there was a gas show at 2,099 m, which wasalso above the primary TOC.

The problem of cloudy water in house well WW-B wasfirst noted about 2 weeks after completion of the GW-1(September 12, 2008), but prior to remediation and hydraulicfracturing of that well. The low % LEL readings (<1%) inWW-B (October 15, 2008) and WW-C (November 10,2008) were likely due to low or intermittent water use fromboth wells or unrecorded venting of GW-1. On the same datesas the % LEL levels rose above predrill levels, the Fe concen-trations (6.9 and 3.88 mg/L) were elevated in both wells rel-ative to pre-drill concentrations (0.011 and 0.03 mg/L). Suchconcentrations can result from the reduction of Fe compoundsby bacteria using methane as an electron source and typicallylast for a limited time period (Woda et al. 2018); they mayprovide evidence that methane had migrated prior to hydraulicfracturing of GW-1. GW-1 was then squeezed at 2,091 m,1.2 m below the top of the Upper Marcellus Shale onOctober 22, 2008, producing a secondary TOC, above theprimary TOC, at 1,673 m. No data indicating that the squeezewas successful were reported. Indeed, the Fe concentrationremained elevated at 3.88 mg/L in WW-C on November 10,2008.

GW-1 was hydraulically fractured in the Lower and UpperMarcellus between November 9, 2008 and November 10,2008, and between November 10, 2008 and November 11,2008, respectively. The water-well pump vault for WW-A isbelieved to have sustained a methane explosion on January 1,2009 (Engelder and Zevenbergen 2018). A few weeks later(January 27, 2009), the pressure in the GW-1 (11.4 cm ×

Fig. 3 Schoell diagram ofmethane gas samples in the studyarea analyzed by the PA DEP,CEC, the US EPA and theoperator. B: Bacterial (microbial)gas; M: Mixed gas; TO: Oil as-sociated thermogenic wet gas;TC: condensate associated ther-mogenic wet gas; and TD: Drythermogenic dry gas. The figure isadapted from Hammond (2016),is modified to include Mud GasLog (MGL) mean values fromBaldassare et al. (2014): 1Marcellus Shale, 2 HamiltonGroup (Mahantango Shale), 3Tully Limestone, 4 GeneseoShale, 5 Brallier Formation, and 6Catskill/Lockhaven Formations.Water well samples are noted asWW and gas wells as GW

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17.8 cm annulus) was 3,585 kPa (520 psig). On January 8,2009, the δ13 C1 and δDC1 isotopes for the GW-1 annularspace gas were −31 and −173‰, respectively, while the δ13

C1 and δDC1 isotopes in nearby WW-B on January 12, 2009were −31 and −179‰, respectively. These data are nearlyidentical, suggesting that the methane in WW-B migratedfrom the annulus of GW-1. The gas company tried severalremediation attempts on GW-1. The well was: (1) squeezedin the interval 1,533–1,534 m on February 10, 2009; (2) acidtreated on February 15, 2009 the Mahantango Shale (1,616–1,674 m); (3) plugged between April 29 2010 and May 7,2010; (4) reentered so that the cement could be drilled out to474 m and (5) replugged on June 16, 2010. After that, onJanuary 26, 2012, methane levels in WW-B and WW-C de-clined (1.7 and 3.8 mg/L, respectively) and no Fe was detectedin either well. At that time, the isotopes in each well wereenriched relative to the 2009 water well and annular spacevalues, probably as a result of microbial oxidation (ESM).Also, there was either no cement or only a poor seal betweenthe top of the Lower Marcellus Shale and the perforation for

the squeeze at the top of the Upper Marcellus Shale. Althoughit cannot be determined from the available information, hy-draulic fracturing, especially of the Upper Marcellus Shale,could have damaged this squeeze cement seal.

Gas well 3a (GW-3a) methane migration and welloperations

Prior to construction of three gas wells (GW-3, GW−3a, GW−3b), no methane was detected in three house wells within457 m of the gas wells. On January 14, 2009 and January 18,2009, high methane levels of 43, 43, 31 and 48 mg/L weremeasured in WW-F, WW-G, WW-H and WW-I, respectively.The history of these three wells is described below.

GW-3 was drilled to a depth of 271 m and GW-3b wascompleted to a depth of 582 m. Both were conventional wellsand neither was hydraulically fractured. GW-3 was plugged,drilled out then re-plugged to total depth, because the drillstring was stuck in the well bore. GW-3b was plugged onMay 23, 2010.

GW-3a was drilled to a vertical depth of 2,124 m.25.5 Mm3/day of gas was measured to be flowing at 475 m,so an intermediate casing was installed from land surface to510 m and cemented. There was an open-hole (uncemented)production casing section of 1,103 m to the TOC at 1,613 m(411 m above first perforation). GW-3a was not hydraulicallyfractured until March 20, 2009, several months after highmethane levels were observed in nearby water wells. GW-3awas subsequently plugged on May 23, 2010. Although therewere no other gas shows in the well, a pressure of 1,944 kPa(282 psig) was measured in the annulus of GW-3a on January26, 2009, requiring a squeeze cement job to be performed onthat well on April 3, 2009 to April 5, 2009.

Prior to squeezing and/or plugging of GW-3a and GW-3b,methane concentrations in four water wells (WW-G, WW-H,WW-I, WW-F) varied from 19 to 44 mg/L and little to nochange was observed after remediation. Specifically, afterplugging of GW-3a/GW−3b, the average concentration inWW-G was 33.9 mg/L, methane levels in WW-H and WW-Ivaried from 29 to 61 mg/L, and six measurements in WW-Franged from 2.5 to 18.3 mg/L (average of 11.3 mg/L).

Isotopic analyses of the samples from WW-F and WW-Hcorroborated the lack of effectiveness of the remediation.Specifically, samples taken before remediation (January 21,2009) showed values consistent with the Mahantango Shaleas measured in samples taken from the annular spaces of GW-3a. After remediation, there was little change in the isotopicsignatures for WW-G, WW-H and WW-I; however, the sam-ple WW-F was substantially more depleted than the annularspace gas. These concentration and isotope data indicate thatremediation of GW-3/GW−3a/GW−3b may have mitigatedsome of the impacts to WW-F, but had little or no effect onWW-G, WW-H and WW-I.

Fig. 4 Construction schematic of gas well GW-1 in the Dimock studyarea. Well construction details from Watson (2010)

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Conclusions for the Dimock case study

The number of water wells in the Dimock study area exceed-ing the hazard limits for methane was much greater thanwould be expected relative to regional background levels inMolofsky et al. (2011, 2013): this is evidence that the gas wellactivity caused the incidents. Isotopic signatures of water fromwells sampled in 2009 were similar to those measured fromgases from annular spaces in gas wells at intermediate depthsabove theMarcellus, but not withMarcellus production gases.Thus, leakage into the wellbore through failed casing cementseals are the most likely cause of methane migration.Remediation by squeeze cementing only partially mitigatedthe impacts. Consistent with previous interpretations (Darrahet al. 2014; Jackson et al. 2013; and Hammond 2016), all ofthe samples from water wells in the study showed evidence ofsome thermogenic methane based on isotopic signature.Samples collected after 2009 generally had isotopic signaturesshowing a thermogenic signature, several which had over-prints of bacterial effects. In several cases where remediationcaused a substantial reduction in methane levels, there werealso substantial changes in the isotope values. This supportsthe Molofsky et al. (2018) suggestion that large changes inmethane concentrations and stable isotopes were likely indi-cators of stray gas impacts.

In summary, gas well activity appears to have impacted allbut one of the 18 house wells in the study around Dimock PA(Hammond 2016). Migration was probably due to leakage ofmethane from gas-bearing formations that were leftuncemented across sections of shale-gas well production cas-ings, in contact with gas-bearing, but unproductive, forma-tions, upward through into the annular spaces of the bore-holes. The gas likely leaked upward to below or outside ofthe protective surface casing, and into the aquifer supplyingthe residential water wells. None of the peer-reviewed studiesin the Dimock study area found clear evidence of contamina-tion by fluids injected in the fracturing process.

Case study: Parker County, Texas

Previous investigations

TX RRC (2011) and Kornacki and McCaffrey (2011, 2014)investigations

The study area is at the boundary between Parker County andHood County, Texas, where the operator completed twohorizontally-drilled gas wells in March 2009 (GW-2) andJune 2009 (GW-1) at the samewellpad. The wells were drilledvertically to depths of almost 1,800 m (6,000 ft) and thenhorizontally to the northwest. GW-1 has surface casing set at120 m (394 ft; Fig. 5) and GW-2 well to 125 m (409 ft), both

cemented to the surface, while the maximum depth of nearbywater wells is 107 m (350 ft). There is no cement from thebottom of the surface casing until 1,396 m (4,580 ft) and1,466 m (4,810 ft) for GW-1 and GW-2, respectively. Thisproduced a primary cement barrier which was 380 m(1,247 ft) above the uppermost producing interval, 1,776 m(5,827 ft), in GW-1. After hydraulic fracturing stimulation,they started producing gas in August 2009 from the BarnettShale.

In August 2010, a homeowner filed a complaint with theRailroad Commission of Texas (TX RRC), which has juris-diction over oil and gas wells in Texas, and the US EPA,which has federal jurisdiction over underground sources ofdrinking water (USDW), about methane contamination inhis water well (DW-1), alleging that methane migrated fromthe two gas wells, located about 150 m (500 ft) from his well.The operator collected water samples from the domestic waterwell DW-1 and 22 other water wells in the neighborhood andgas samples (casing head) from the gas wells in late 2010 andearly 2011. The measured methane concentration in the DW-1sample collected on August 26, 2010 was 2.3 mg/L; however,most samples were collected after filtration and aeration, need-ed to remove dissolved sulfide, suggesting that this was aminimum concentration (Thyne 2015).

In August 2010, the pressure was 207 kPa (30 psi) on theGW-1 bradenhead (production-surface casing annular space)and there was no bradenhead pressure in GW-2, the usualindication that methane gas was not leaking from the verticalopen-hole portions of the gas wells. When a mechanical in-tegrity test was performed on GW-1, the pressure was5,825 kPa (845 psi) and no leakage was found from the pro-duction casing. Cement bond logs completed for both wellsshowed good cementation for those intervals with cement.

On August 8, 2010, a contractor for the homeowner sam-pled DW-1 and found a methane level of 7.8 mg/L and thepresence of higher-order hydrocarbons and volatile organiccompounds (VOCs). The presence of VOCs was also foundin another domestic well (DW-2), but there was no methane.On October 26, 2010, the US EPA sampled DW-1, producinga methane concentration of 20.1 mg/L and an isotopic signa-ture (δ13C = −47.1‰ and δD = −188.5‰) that was similar tothose of the gas wells (δ13C = −46.6‰ and δD = −183.9‰).Based on the methane concentrations and isotopic signatures,and the presence of VOCs, the US EPA issued an EmergencyAdministrative Order on December 7, 2010, which requiredmonitoring of water wells within 910 m (3,000 ft) of the gaswells, performance of soil and air gas surveys, and the sub-mittal of a remediation plan.

At a TX RRC hearing in 2011 (TX RRC 2011), the StrawnGroup was identified as the source of the methane, not theunderlying Barnett Shale supplying the gas wells, based onthe nitrogen and carbon dioxide content of casing head gas inDW-1 (Kornacki and McCaffrey 2011, 2014). In addition, the

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bradenhead gases had microbial isotopic signatures, indicat-ing that thermogenic gas of the from either the Strawn Groupor Barnett Shale did not leak upward behind the productioncasing, unless it bled off or drained through an intermediatepermeable formation or a structural feature (e.g. fault, joints,or fractures). While this may occur in the unconsolidatedCenozoic sediments of the Texas Gulf Coast, it is less likelyto occur in the low-permeability consolidated Mesozoic/Paleozoic sedimentary rocks of Parker County. Finally, theTX RRC suggested that increased water use and a significantdrop in the water level after a new house was built on theproperty could have resulted in dissolved gas exsolution, pro-ducing the elevated methane levels.

The US EPAwithdrew its order as the TX RRC had juris-diction over oil and gas activities in Texas, but continued tomaintain that the source of the methane was the gas wells.After further problems were reported and a second investiga-tion completed, the TX RRC determined the source of themethane was uncertain, after the N2 data were corrected for

atmospheric contribution using Ar content (Table 3 in Pope2014).

Darrah et al. (2015) investigation

Darrah et al. (2015) used noble gas and hydrocarbon tracers todistinguish natural sources of methane from anthropogeniccontamination and to determine what mechanisms caused el-evated light hydrocarbon concentrations in drinking waterwells near natural-gas production wells.

Noble gases are ideal tracers of crustal fluid processes be-cause they are nonreactive with other chemical elements orcompounds and have distinct isotopic compositions in thecrust, hydrosphere, and atmosphere. In most sedimentaryaquifers, noble gases are a mixture of air saturated water ofan atmospheric origin and those produced by radioactive de-cay of elements such as U, Th and 40K in the Earth’s crust.Noble gases incorporated into crustal fluids fractionate bymechanisms such as diffusion and phase partitioning. Whenpaired with hydrocarbon composition and inorganic waterchemistry, noble gases then can help differentiate betweennatural geological migration of hydrocarbon gases and anthro-pogenic contamination, and the mechanisms by which anthro-pogenic gas contamination occur.

Darrah et al. (2015) analyzed 20 samples collected fromdrinking-water wells drilled into the Trinity Aquifer overlyingthe Barnett Shales in the study area, for hydrocarbon concen-trations and isotopic compositions (e.g., C2H6/CH4, δ

13C-CH4) and providing comprehensive analyses of noble gasesand their isotopes (e.g., 4He, 20Ne, 36Ar) in groundwater nearshale-gas wells. 20Ne and 36Ar in groundwater are mostly ofatmospheric origin, while 4He in groundwater is mostlycrustally produced. The amount of these isotopes was usedto delineate the contribution of atmospheric and crustal endmembers for dissolved species in groundwater. They identi-fied eight discrete clusters with elevated methane concentra-tions and anomalous noble gas compositions consistent withstray gas contamination, seven in the Marcellus Shale and onein the Barnett Shale.

The molecular ratio of aliphatic hydrocarbons C2H6+/CH4

(Fig. 4C of Darrah et al. 2015) and noble gases (4He/40Ar* and4He/20Ne; Fig. 4D of Darrah et al. 2015) in samples withevidence of fugitive gas contamination are significantly great-er than other natural groundwaters in the area. (Note that a star‘*’ is commonly used to indicate a noble gas component froma crustal end member.)

Their initial sampling in December 2012 revealed that 9 of12 Barnett study area groundwater samples were similar to thenormal trend (i.e., uncontaminated groundwater impacted bythe deep gas-rich brine that migrated over geological time) insamples from their Marcellus study area. In the Marcellusstudy area, all normal 36Ar trend samples both >1 km and<1 km from drill sites had an N2 that varied within ~15% of

Fig. 5 Construction schematic of gas well 1 (GW-1) in the Parker-HoodCounty study area. Well construction details from Pope (2012)

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the temperature-dependent air-saturated water solubility line(Darrah et al. 2015). Two additional resamplings of 12 domes-tic water wells from the Barnett study area during both Augustand November of 2013 that included four additional domesticwells (8 new; 20 in total) showed no evidence ofcontamination.

They suggested that the data from five water wells in theBarnett study area were evidence of gas-phase migration fromgas wells, whereas the methane in the remaining 15 wellsoccurred naturally. The initial December 2012 sampling iden-tified three anomalous samples in the Barnett study area withsupersaturated CH4 that departed from the brine-meteoric wa-ter mixing line and showed significant depletions (i.e., strip-ping) of all air-saturated water components (20Ne, 36Ar, andN2). The two previously normal wells that displayed increasedCH4 through time also became depleted of air-saturated watergases by August 2013. The stripped air-saturated water com-positions in groundwater samples occurred <1 km from drillsites in the Barnett study area and were attributed (by Darrahet al. 2015) to a rapid introduction of high-pressure gas-phasehydrocarbons into shallow aquifers, most likely sourced fromthe Strawn Group. This was not consistent with the cases ofGW-1 and GW-2, both of which had low pressures measuredin their annular spaces. The lighter isotopes of stable noblegases (i.e., Ne and Ar), plus nitrogen were not preferentiallystripped from groundwater samples near GW-1 and GW-2.

Because the isotopic composition (δ13C-CH4) of both theBarnett Shale and overlying Strawn Group are similar, addi-tional fingerprinting techniques such as noble gases or themolecular composition of hydrocarbons were used to deter-mine the source of the methane and the mechanism control-ling methane migration.

Darrah et al. (2015) concluded that the similarity betweenC2H6+/CH4 vs. δ

13C-CH4 and4He/40Ar* vs. 4He/20Ne in the

Strawn-produced gases and the anomalous subset of fivegroundwater samples in the Barnett study area suggests thatcontamination likely results from the release of annulus-conducted gas, probably by poor cementation, sourced fromthe Strawn Group rather than from the Barnett Shale.

Data on the Strawn and Barnett-produced gases and poten-tial impacts to water wells were included in Kornecki andMcCaffrey (2011, 2014). The production wells in theBarnett study area were located in the vicinity of GW-1,GW-2, DW-1 and DW-2; however, since detailed locationswere not given by Darrah et al. (2015), due to potential legalissues (T. Darrah, Ohio State University, personal communi-cation, 2019), it cannot be determined if any samples werecollected from those wells.

Thyne (2015) investigation

Thyne (2015) determined that the isotopic signature of meth-ane in most of the Trinity Aquifer wells was thermogenic and

appeared to be degraded by microbial activity. In contrast, heindicated that the methane from the gas well bradenheads hasa significant biogenic component, i.e. the δ13C1 and δDC1

values were −62 and −55‰, and −195 and −240‰, for GW-1 and GW-2, respectively. He attributed this to biogenic car-bonate reduction, commonly found at intermediate depths insedimentary systems above the thermally mature sourcerocks.

Thyne (2015) indicated that the initial identification of thegas in DW-1 as being from the Strawn Group was logical. Thestudy area is located directly over hydrocarbon deposits, in-cluding the Strawn Group, with producing horizons only afew hundred feet (less than about 100 m) below the aquiferand gas could have moved across an unconformity into theTrinity Aquifer. However, he then further stated that samplesfrom DW-1 had methane isotopic values and molecular com-positions identical to Barnett gas, notwithstanding the similar-ity to the Strawn gases and the results of the noble gas analy-ses. The gas wells are located in general proximity to largegeological faults in the Barnett Shale and the overlying for-mations. DW-1 and surrounding water wells have shown in-creasing concentrations with time along linear spatial trends,and the presence of higher order hydrocarbons, which he sug-gested was evidence of a continuous leak from a gas seep. Theeast–west orientation of the gas plume is consistent with thegeneral orientations of the preexisting fault and the underlyingsandstones in the Strawn Group. He suggested that the sourceof the methane was the Barnett Shale and that the gas wasproduced during hydraulic fracturing and that it migrated tothe Strawn Group along an unidentified preexisting fault or aconduit produced by hydraulically induced fracturing.Frohlich (2012) indicated that there were no mapped faultsat the surface or earthquakes in the area that might suggestfaulting at depth. This was supported by a structure map,constructed from 3D seismic data (TX RRC 2011).

Wen et al. (2016) and companion investigations

Wen et al. (2016) collected 45 groundwater samples from 35wells in the Trinity Aquifer within the Barnett Shale footprintin Parker and Hood counties in north-central Texas, for mea-surement of He, Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe concentrations and theirrespective isotopic ratios (Fig. 6).

Groundwater samples in the Trinity Aquifer are groupedinto two clusters: one was the “south cluster”, for samplestaken near the Hood County and Parker County boundary,where high dissolved methane concentrations were previouslydocumented and; and the second or “north cluster”, as a back-ground reference. DW-1 and DW-2 are located in the “southcluster”, but were not included in the sampling program.

Following the classification of methane concentrations dis-solved in groundwater by Eltschlager et al. (2001), only fivegroundwater samples all from the “south cluster” (samples

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355, 358, 369, 533, and 555) display dissolved methane con-centrations of concern, that is, >10 mg/L. The highest total4He concentrations were found in some of the south clusterwells with the highest methane concentrations (samples 355,358, 369, 533, and 555). In addition to being well correlatedwith dissolved methane in groundwater, concentrations ofboth total 4He and crustal 4He (4He*) are very similar andpoint to a dominantly crustal 4He component in most samples,as opposed to atmospheric and mantle-derived components.The dissolved methane concentrations display positive corre-lations with multiple crustal noble gas isotopes—in particular,4He*, 21Ne* and 40Ar*—suggesting that noble gases andmethane in the Trinity Aquifer originate from a commonsource.

To determine whether this external origin of methane andnoble gases is the Strawn Group or the Barnett Shale and toassess whether or not the presence of stray gas results from aconventional or unconventional well, the 20Ne, 36Ar, 84Kr, and132Xe concentrations of Trinity Aquifer samples were exam-ined (Fig.7). All four isotopes are introduced by the rechargeof freshwater equilibrated with the atmospheric concentrationof these isotopes so that they are saturated in groundwater.

In contrast to the data from most of the samples and as alsopreviously documented by Darrah et al. (2014a, b) in a fewwater wells, four groundwater samples, all from the southcluster (samples 355, 358, 369, and 555) display 20Ne and36Ar concentrations below the air-saturated water compositionand point to significant depletion of atmospheric-derived 20Neand 36Ar—that is, stripping of atmospheric noble gases. Allfour of these groundwater samples have high measured meth-ane concentrations, between ~12 and ~23 mg/L.

If gaseous methane were present throughout the TrinityAquifer, fractionation of atmospheric noble gas componentsin the water would be widely observed. Most water samplesdisplay minimal fractionation in 132Xe/36Ar and 84Kr/36Arratios; however, samples 555 and 358, with the highest meth-ane concentrations did show significant fractionation, whilesamples 355 and 369, also with elevated methane concentra-tions, showed only minor fractionation. The observed frac-tionation in these four samples, which underwent strippingof all atmospheric noble gases, is consistent with water-gasphase interactions in a closed-system. A detailed analysis ofdriller log data available for these wells shows that all four ofthese wells are drilled through the unconformity into theStrawn Group that is likely to contain noncommercial gasaccumulations. Heavy depletion of atmospheric noble gasesand, in particular, of the heavier 84Kr and 132Xe in only thesefour wells is consistent with continuously sustained gas-phasemethane migration from a nearby source. In addition, suchsource attribution is also supported by the findings of Wenet al. (2017) that noble gas signatures of stray gas samplesfrom water wells mimic that of natural gas samples from theStrawn Group other than the Barnett Shale.

Wen et al. (2016) indicated that the fractionation levelF(132Xe/36Ar), normalized to corresponding air values in wa-ter samples, was not correlated with distance to the nearest gaswell, including both Barnett and non-Barnett wells. This lackof correlation reinforced the hypothesis that dissolved gas inwells with highmethane content has a natural origin and likelymigrates into the Trinity Aquifer from the Strawn Group. Thismechanism is consistent with the lack of or minimal pressureand the microbial signature of the methane gas in the annularspaces of the two gas wells (GW-1 and GW-2).

Following theWen et al. (2016) investigation, several com-panion studies were completed. Nicot et al. (2017) sampled457 locations for dissolved methane across the Barnett Shalefootprint and found that methane concentrations were gener-ally low with 387 samples (84.7%) having concentrations<0.1 mg/L; and 11 (2.4%) have concentrations >10 mg/L,all in Parker and Hood counties. In addition, they indicatedthat there was a lack of correlation with distance to BarnettShale horizontal wells and conventional wells, and with welldensity suggesting a natural origin for the dissolved methane,with the underlying Strawn Group of Paleozoic age as themain source of the dissolved gas. As with the MarcellusShale studies of Osborn et al. (2011) and Jackson et al.(2013), the samples with the highest methane concentrationsoccurred within 1,000 m of an active gas well. The differenceis that there was no increase in the concentration as the samplelocations approached gas wells in the Nicot et al. (2017) in-vestigation, while the highest concentrations in the Osbornet al. (2011) and Jackson et al. (2013) studies were noted inclose proximity to gas wells (300–500 m). In both cases, sam-pling biases appear to have been introduced which precluderobust statistical assessments of the relationship betweenmethane concentrations and gas wells, since the greatest num-ber of samples, with the highest concentrations of methane,were collected in two concentrated clusters; one in theDimock area, where known methane migration has occurred,and the other in Parker County near GW-1 and GW-2 where itappears that the elevated methane levels have a natural origin.

Larson et al. (2018) compared dissolved nitrogen chemis-try to the noble gas results ofWen et al. (2016) and in the samearea as the Darrah et al. (2014a, b) investigation. One advan-tage of using nitrogen to differentiate between high and low-flux of stray natural gas into groundwater is that dissolvednitrogen is much less sensitive to change than dissolved meth-ane due to the high concentration of nitrogen in atmospheric-recharged groundwater and the low concentration in naturalgas.

Of the 457 groundwater wells in the Nicot et al. (2017)study, Larson et al. (2018) concentrated on 77 water wells(118 samples with replicates) in the ‘Parker-Hood’ cluster.Using two-component mixing models constructed with dis-solved nitrogen concentrations and isotope values, they iden-tified only three wells with high methane content (>10 mg/L),

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dissolved nitrogen concentrations <11 mg/L, δ15N valueslower than expected for atmospherically recharged groundwa-ter, and gas:water ratios near 1.5, that were likely affected by alarge influx of natural gas, the same process as for the noblegases. Two of the wells (BS551 and BS 553) were in the samecluster that also included DW-1 and DW-2, near GW-1 andGW-2.

Larson et al. (2018) indicated that methane may have mi-grated to groundwater wells by localized transport of naturalgas from the Strawn Group to the shallow groundwater aqui-fer that occurred during groundwater well drilling or that iso-lated shallow natural gas reservoirs within the Strawn Groupmay be in contact along an unconformity with the TrinityGroup aquifer. As with the Wen et al. (2016) noble gas

Fig. 6 Spatial distribution map of dissolved methane and total 4Heconcentrations for sampled Trinity Aquifer wells at Parker-HoodCounty, Texas. Adapted from Wen et al. (2016), with permission fromACS Publications, and modified to include locations of gas wells GW-1

and GW-2 and domestic water wells DW-1 and DW-2. DW-1 and DW-2were not sampled by Wen et al. (2016) and the symbols for those wellsonly denote location

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analyses, this scenario is supported by the lack of or minimalpressure and the microbial signature of the methane gas in the

annular spaces of the two gas wells (GW-1 and GW-2) nearthe cluster of water wells in the study.

Conclusions for the Parker County case study

Based on the similar carbon-hydrogen isotope signatures ofthe production gas and the water wells near GW-1 and GW-2,the US EPA initially indicated that stray gas had migratedfrom the Barnett Shale in the Parker County incident. Thenitrogen and carbon dioxide content of the water wells leadthe TX RRC to determine that the source of the methane wasthe younger Strawn Group. Darrah et al. (2014a, b), usingnoble gas analyses, confirmed that Strawn Group was themethane source; however, unlike the TX RRC, they attributedthe elevated methane concentrations to the release of annulusconducted gas. Thyne (2015) suggested that the methane hadmigrated during hydraulic fracturing from the Barnett Shale tothe Strawn Group along a preexisting fault or hydraulicallyinduced facture, although three-dimensional (3D) seismicmodeling and surface maps indicate that there are no faultsin the vicinity of GW-1 and GW-2. Wen et al. (2016) and thecompanion studies of Nicot et al. (2017) and Larson et al.(2018) used noble gas and dissolved nitrogen gas analysesto demonstrate that methane may have migrated to groundwa-ter wells by localized transport of natural gas from the StrawnGroup to the shallow groundwater Trinity Group aquifer thatoccurred during groundwater well drilling. The last scenario issupported by the high TOCs, lack of or minimal annular spacepressures and the microbial signature of the methane gas in theannular spaces of the two gas wells (GW-1 and GW-2) nearthe cluster of water wells in the study area.

Case study: Pavillion, Wyoming

Case study overview

Pavillion (Fremont County, Wyoming) is located near thewestern end of the Wind River Basin. East of town, thePavillion Field hosts 181 vertical gas wells that extract hydro-carbons from discontinuous sandstone units in the Fort Unionand Wind River Formations. Gas, reported to have movednaturally into the Wind River Formation, is thought to bewidespread below 153 m below ground surface (mbgs) ac-cording to the Wyoming Department of EnvironmentalQuality (WYDEQ and AME 2015). In addition, several linesof evidence (DiGiulio and Jackson 2016) indicate that flowoccurs naturally upward from the Fort Union to Wind RiverFormations. Nonetheless, ~40 domestic water wells extractwater from the latter formation within the gas well field. Theshallowest hydraulically fractured depth was 372 m and thedeepest domestic well depth was 244 m (US EPA 2011).

Fig. 7 a 20Ne, b 84Kr and c 132Xe concentrations as a function of 36Arconcentrations for all collected Trinity groundwater samples. Predicted20Ne, 36Ar, 84Kr and 132Xe concentrations in air saturated water (areshown for temperatures varying from 0 to 25 °C (red solid line).Predicted 20Ne, 36Ar, 84Kr, and 132Xe concentrations in the water phaseare also calculated for two scenarios: (1) addition of excess air (EA; greensolid lines) and (2) residual water phase following water-gas interaction ina closed-system (red-dashed lines) at 18 and 25 °C (reproduced fromWenet al. 2016 with permission from ACS Publications)

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A number of homeowners complained of foul tastes andodors from their water wells, which led to starting an investi-gation in 2008 for 23 water wells. Domestic wells were sam-pled in 2009 and 2010. Two monitoring wells (MW01 andMW02) were also drilled and screened at about 235 and295 m in 2010 in the US EPA study to determine if contam-inants associated with hydraulic fracturing were movingupward.

In a draft report published in late 2011, the US EPA indi-cated that organic and inorganic geochemical anomalies, in-cluding very high pH readings in MW01 and MW02, werecaused by hydraulic fracturing, and attributed the contamina-tion in the domestic water wells tentatively to discharge ofdrilling and production fluids from unlined wastewater dis-posal ponds in the area. After numerous responses from stateand federal officials, the oil and gas industry, consulting firms,and environmental groups, the US EPA decided in June 2013not to finalize the draft report. Later, one of the former prin-cipal investigators was a coauthor of a peer-reviewed paperaddressing many of the comments (DiGiulio and Jackson2016). Here, this report briefly summarizes important pointsfrom DiGiulio and Jackson (2016) and the detailed reports bythe consulting firms of Acton Mickelson Environmental, Inc.,S.S. Papadopulos and Associates, Inc., and the GradientCorporation. The incidents have remained controversial partlybecause many inferences were made from indirect measure-ments (e.g., well logs and reports) and because even the waterquality data were subject to interpretation—for example, eventhough in the US EPA report it was argued that some analytes(pH, potassium, and/or chloride) in the deep monitoring wellswere sometimes elevated by hydraulic fracturing activities, analternative is that cement grout used in emplacing the moni-toring wells caused the contamination. Specifically, without abentonite seal in the monitoring wells, K- and Cl-containingcement may have flowed past the well screen and may havecaused high pH values.

Other examples of competing explanations include thosefor BTEX compounds (benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene andxylene) that were found only in MW02, while otherpetroleum-based organics were found in both monitoringwells. These compounds correspond to additives or com-pounds sometimes associated with hydraulic fracturing.Similar compounds were found in a sample of Pavillion gasfrom well condensate collected by the US EPA; thus, thesecompounds may alternately have come from a natural sourcein the area. On the other hand, some synthetic organic com-pounds were found in one or both of the monitoring wells,leading the US EPA to conclude that additives used duringhydraulic fracturing or their breakdown products had contam-inated the aquifer. Additional possibilities to explain the con-tamination include unreliability of the tests (e.g. for glycols) ornatural breakdown of natural gas—(hydrocarbons, acetone,

isopropanol, and tertiary butyl alcohol (TBA)—as a sourcefor the organic compounds.

Figure 8, a modified cross-section of Fig. 20 in the US EPA(2011) report, was used by the US EPA to illustrate gas wellswhere bonding of cement between casing and geologic for-mation is inconsistent or cement is totally lacking (outside ofproduction casings above stimulated intervals) that could haveprovided potential conduits for upward fluid and gas migra-tion. Figure 9 illustrates the locations of the gas, monitoringand domestic wells, and the cross-section. In addition to thewells on the cross-section, the methane concentrations in all ofthe domestic wells were <1 mg/L. Relatively large depths toprimary TOCs were reported in three wells with no cementbond log/variable density logs (CBL/VDL): depths to primaryTOCwere reported for PF 41-11B, PF 12–12 and PF 33–12 as274, 290 and 61 m, respectively—supplemental data aboutwe l l cons t r uc t i on f rom DiGiu l i o and Jack son(2016). Figure 10 is a modified version of Fig. 18 of USEPA (2011) presenting isotope ratios and methaneconcentrations in the Pavillion study area. The methaneconcentrations of all 24 domestic wells in US EPA (2011)were <1 mg/L, while the average of the samples was 0.045mg/L. The carbon and hydrogen isotopes also showed evi-dence of thermogenic gas that had undergone microbial oxi-dation. The similarity of the signatures of the stable isotopesof carbon and hydrogen in methane between production andmonitoring wells suggest they have a common deep thermo-genic source.

In addition, the Wyoming Oil and Gas ConservationCommission (WOGCC 2014) tested the nearest gas wells(PF 12–12, PF 13–12 and PF 13–12) to MW02 (within300 m) and they passed bradenhead tests; i.e., no pressurewas detected in the annuli at the land surface. Also, nearMW01, shut-in pressure tests of TP 31–10 and TP 41-10Bsustained the relatively low pressures of 193 kPa (28 psi)and 1,186 kPa (172 psi), respectively, after 7 days. DiGiulioand Jackson (2016) presented the results of analyses of tubingstring production gas and bradenhead samples for 25 wellsthat had sustained casing pressure.

DiGiulio and Jackson (2016) argued that contaminants andgroundwater are migrating in an upward and lateral directionbecause the concentrations of organic compounds were higherin the deeper monitoring well (MW02) and breakdown prod-ucts were more concentrated in the shallower well (MW01).The presence of a few flowing domestic and gas wells wereoffered as evidence of upward groundwater flow in the wellfield but some contradictory evidence was also cited and nodetailed regional mapping of groundwater levels and hydrau-lic gradients were reported.

DiGiulio and Jackson (2016) list 11 gas wells that had lostzonal control as further evidence of contamination of the aqui-fer by production wells; however, only one of those wells waswithin 600 m of a monitoring well. A casing failure had been

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reported in unit 41X-10, near MW01, leading to plugging andabandonment in 1981. Tribal Pavillion well 12–12, near

MW02, was squeezed in 2005. The squeeze was performedat 259 m, indicating there was an undefined well issue above

Fig. 9 Map of the Pavillion study area, Wyoming, illustrating locations of oil and gas wells, domestic water wells, monitoring wells MW01 andMW02,and the transect (orange line) of the lithological cross-section shown in Fig. 8 (reproduced from US EPA 2011)

0.6

-0.8

mg/L

16-1

8 m

g/L

0.0

05-0

.07 m

g/L

19-2

3 m

g/L

0.1

-0.2

mg/L

Fig. 8 Lithological cross-sectionalong transect through Pavillionstudy area, showing profiles ofproduction wells, domestic wells,monitoring wells MW01 andMW02, and depths of hydraulicfractures, with evaluations ofCBLs/VDLs (adapted from USEPA 2011, and adds the methaneconcentrations of the domesticand monitoring wells)

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the TOC (309m above the first producing zone) that was mostlikely due to shallow gas migration.

DiGiulio and Jackson (2016) reported that water flowed tothe surface during bradenhead testing at four production wells.None were within 600 m of either monitoring well and theclosest was Pavillion Fee well 12-11W (PF 12-11W), locatedabout 925 m southeast of MW01. Pressure testing on PF 12-11 W indicated that water flowed outside the production cas-ing. Cement squeezes were then performed at 146 m and442 m on May 17, 2013 to stop the flow. This indicates thatthe source of the water was at least 177 m (580 ft) above theprimary TOC and 329 m (1,080 ft) above the top perforation,consistent with flow from a shallow zone and that was notrelated to hydraulic fracturing.

Water flowing from the annular space of Tribal Pavillion13–1 (TP 13–1) had a pH of 10.86, which the DiGiulio andJackson (2016) indicated was evidence of elevated pH abovethe zone of hydraulic fracturing. Since the primary TOC of TP13–1 is unknown and no other information is available, itcannot be determined if flow in the annular space was due tohydraulic fracturing. However, TP 13–1 is located about1,265 m north ofMW02 and 2980m east of MW01, distancesthat make it improbable that TP 13–1 contaminated the mon-itoring wells. In addition, the gas wells nearest to MW01 andMW02 have produced water pH values between 5.9 and 8.5.

Another possibility is that the high pH in TP 13–1 was due towater interaction with cement.

DiGiulio and Jackson (2016) presented the results of anal-yses of tubing string production gas and bradenhead samplesfor 25 wells that had sustained casing pressure and offered thatnearly all bradenhead gas samples were devoid of CO2 asother evidence of high pH above stimulation zones. One ex-ception was well 12–5, which had concentrations of 99.5 and0.05 mol% for N2 and CO2, respectively; possibly from a nearsurface source contaminated by nitrate fertilizer. Other thanwell 12–5, this would indicate that there was evidence of highpH in the remaining 24 wells above stimulation intervals;however, it seems unlikely that every well would have beenaffected by hydraulic fracturing. As opposed to thebradenhead samples, virtually all the string gas samplescontained CO2. The two exceptions were well 12–5 and well13–1, the latter of which had the anomalously high pH. Thisgas may be a residual from the use of CO2 for stimulation orthe produced gas may naturally contain a small amount ofCO2. Otherwise, the composition of the string and bradenheadsamples, including the alkane and BTEX compounds, aresimilar. If trace gases had migrated out of the target zone, thiscould explain some amount of CO2 in the samples. Since mostof the CO2 in uncontaminated groundwater is from soil respi-ration, dissolution of CO2 from the atmosphere, natural

a

b

MW-02MW-01

PGDW30

PGDW5

PGDW20

PGDW32

Non-detects

Average Domestic Wells

0.045 mg/L

Fig. 10 Isotope ratios andmethane concentrations in thePavillion study area. a Stableisotope ratios of carbon versushydrogen of samples taken fromselected production and domesticwells, and MW01 and MW02. bMethane concentration ofdomestic and monitoring wellsrelative to distance fromproduction wells and elevationabove mean sea level (AMSL).Adapted from US EPA 2011, toinclude identification of domesticand monitoring wells included inthe lithological cross-section (Fig.8) and map (Fig. 9); includes ci-tation of Johnson and Rice 1993

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oxidation of hydrocarbon gases and volcanic outgassing, it ispossible that the absence of CO2 in the bradenhead samplesreflects natural conditions at depth.

Nakamoto et al. (1986), in laboratory experiments, andMercer et al. (2007), in a field study, demonstrated that theporewaters associated with cement initially start atcircumneutral values but then increase above 12 and thenreturn after a few years to near neutral. Continued monitoringof the pH values in samples from wells MW01 and MW02could eventually provide evidence that the high pH in thosewells was due to cement intrusion.

Conclusions for the Pavillion case study

The methane concentrations in all of the domestic wells were<1 mg/L or an order of magnitude less than the lower levelconsidered safe. The carbon and hydrogen isotope signatureswere oxidized relative to those of the annular space and pro-duction gases. Relatively low pressures were measured duringbradenhead tests, especially in gas wells near MW02. Thepresence of CO2 in samples from the tubing string and ab-sence of CO2 in the bradenhead samples indicate two differentsources and suggests that no out-of-zone migration or contam-ination by hydraulic fracturing fluids occurred. These factorsare compelling evidence that stray gas migration did not occurat Pavillion.

With the exceptional amount of resources already atPavillion, it might be worthwhile to look more closely at theconstruction details of the gas wells in the field, especiallythose near wells MW01 and MW02. This could include in-spection of all well logs and operational reports, previousdownhole logging, and all chemical analyses. Considerationshould be given to running the most advanced cement evalu-ation logs, temperature and noise logging, and, if possible,conducting well interference tests. Also, the issue concerningBTEX and synthetic organic compounds might be addressedby sampling produced and bradenhead waters and gases.

Case study: Sugar Run, Bradford County,Pennsylvania

Case study overview

Contamination of six drinking water wells by natural gasalong Paradise Road in the valley of the north branch ofSugar Run in southeastern Bradford County, Pennsylvania(Fig. 11) was described in 2015 (Llewellyn et al. 2015). Fivegas wellpads with two wells each had been constructed be-tween 2009 and 2010 at a location about 1 to 2.25 km north ofthe valley and problems at the water wells began in July 2010.When problems started, only two of the gas wells on one ofthe wellpads (Welles 1) had been completed using HVHF. On

May 11, 2011, the Pennsylvania Depar tment ofEnvironmental Protection (PA DEP) presumed the gas com-pany was responsible for gas migration into the aquifer. Inaddition, foaming in homeowner wells was noted but no de-termination by the PA DEP was made as to the cause. Thewater wells were cased to about 6.5 mbgs, and were left opendown to a maximum of about 60 mbgs. Gas wells were alldrilled into the Marcellus Shale Formation at depths of ap-proximately 2 km.

All the wells on the five wellpads (Welles 1–5) were con-structedwith surface casings (steel pipe with cement) to 300mbelow ground surface (mbgs) on the vertical section, no casingat intermediate depths, and production casing through thezone of gas production from 2,100 to 2,300 mbgs (Fig.11).Multiple depth intervals of gas were encountered during dril-ling of the gas wells at intermediate depths where the bore-holes were uncased (Figs. 12 and 13). This intermediate-depthgas may explain why the annular pressures on several of thegas wells exceeded regulation values (24 atm, 2,413 kPa or350 psi) as summarized in Fig. 12.

High gas pressures led the gas company to remediate someof the gas wells with cement squeezes and plugs from Aug toNov 2010 (Fig. 12); during that time period, gas bubbling wasobserved in the nearby Susquehanna River near the town ofSugar Run (town labelled on Fig. 11). One part of this cementsqueeze included relatively shallow emplacement of largequantities of cement—for example, 31.2 m3 (196 barrels,bbl) of cement were pumped into a depth of 500–600 mbgsat Welles 3-2H (Fig. 11). As described in the following para-graphs, further issues continued in the homeowner wells.

The incident included both migration of stray gas as well asother contaminants, including measured concentrations of 2-Butoxyethanol (2-BE). Llewellyn et al. (2015) concluded thatthe most likely cause was that natural gas was driven alongwith drilling or hydraulic fracturing fluids a distance of 1–3 km through shallow to intermediate depth fractures or bed-ding plane openings into the water wells. They also implicateda major fault in the area as a possible pathway (Fig. 11).Possible alternative sources of the 2-BE were (1) a pit pondat the nearest well pad that had been cited for leakage ofdrilling fluids, (2) fluids used during drilling of one or moreof the wells, or (3) leakage from hydraulic fracturing fluidsduring injection, i.e., on their way down (not returning fromdepth). An additional source for the 2-BE that was not cited bythe original authors is the possibility that the large volume ofcement used at shallow depth in the squeeze contained some2-BE that was leached and mobilized in the groundwater.

The homeowners and gas company employed private con-sultants for sampling of water wells from July 2010 toMay 2012. A lawsuit initiated by the homeowners was settledin June 2012: as a result, the gas company bought the proper-ties and all data were released (Llewellyn et al. 2015).Through agreement with the PA DEP as a result of the

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litigation, the company was required to implement a three-string casing design for the Welles gas wells. Specifically,intermediate depth casing was to be emplaced for all the wells.PA DEP allowed the company to complete the gas wells onthe remaining four pads (Welles 2–5) with HVHF betweenNov 2012 and Sept 2013.

Llewellyn et al. (2015) reported analyses of samples of thehomeowner wells from Nov 2012 where they analyzed thewhite foam with a technique not generally used by commer-cial analytical laboratories: comprehensive two-dimensional(2D) gas chromatography coupled to time-of-flight mass spec-trometry. They compared the analyses to analyses of waterfrom domestic wells outside of the impacted region and to

~30 flowback and production waters from gas wells complet-ed with HVHF around Pennsylvania. They observed an unre-solved complex mixture of organic compounds (UCM) in allflowback/production waters and in affected homeowner wells.A few of the flowback/production waters were also identifiedto contain 2-BE and glycols, compounds commonly used dur-ing drilling and HVHF. Nanogram/L level concentrations of2-BE were identified in two of six water wells. 2-BE is themain compound, for example, in Airfoam, a commercial dril-ling additive and surfactant that had been in use inPennsylvania and that can produce a white foam. 2-BE wasassumed to be the cause of the foaming observed by thehomeowners.

Fig. 12 Schematics illustratingconstruction of gas wells Welles1–5 series at Sugar Run, withdepth intervals of gas shows, re-medial activities (squeezes andplugs), originally (primary)emplaced cement and “partiallybonded” cement. Highest record-ed gas well annular pressures areincluded (reproduced fromLlewellyn et al. 2015)

Fig. 11 Block diagram illustrating shallow angle thrust fault, structuralfold surficial traces and bedding planes in the Sugar Run area,Pennsylvania. The positions of water wells 1–6 (Paradise Road) andgas wells Welles 1–5 series are shown with the gas wells projected to

the front of the block. In September 2010, gas was observed bubblingfrom the Susquehanna River, between the Wyalusing and Sugar Runcommunities, which ceased after the completion of gas well remedialactivities (reproduced from Llewellyn et al. 2015)

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Methane and ethane data (concentrations and isotopic sig-natures) are summarized by Llewellyn et al. (2015) forhomeowner wells and for gas wells. Between 2010 and2012, methane concentrations in waters from homeownerwells were as high as 46.6 mg/L (much higher than the onlypredrill measurement, <0.02 mg/L). Methane concentrationsin one of the homeowner wells generally decreased after re-mediation of Welles 3, 4, and 5. In addition, the isotopic sig-nature of sampled gas in homeowner wells matched thosereported for annular gases in Welles 2–5, and differed fromnonimpacted groundwaters (Fig. 13). While Llewellyn et al.(2015) did not discuss the depth of origin of the fugitive gasdirectly, they indicated that no samples of HVHF or flow-back/production water from the Welles-series wells wereavailable. Figure 13 of Llewellyn et al. (2015) also shows thatthe gas in gas well annuli, with one exception, was isotopical-ly similar toMarcellus gas (production gas) when compared topublished data for the area (Molofsky et al. 2011; Llewellynet al. 2015; Baldassare et al. 2014). There is, however, a con-siderable statistical overlap in the isotopic signatures of theTully Limestone and Mahantango Shale with the MarcellusFormation, including a so-called isotopic reversal seen in allthose units; consequently, Baldassare et al. (2014) cautionsagainst applying average regional isotopic values to site-specific natural gas occurrences. The relatively high gas wellprimary TOCs and squeeze cementing of shallow andintermediate intervals could also point to a methane sourcewithin 500 m above the Marcellus Shale. Llewellyn et al.(2015) concluded that gas migrated from Welles 3-2H on theWelles pads because of excessive annular pressures in theborehole (~64 atm). Other wellpads in the Welles series mayalso have leaked. The gas migration may also have influencedthe movement of the 2-BE.

Conclusions for the Sugar Run case study

The high methane concentrations and the match to the gaswell annular space isotopic signatures of the water wells andelevated pressures in the gas wells indicate that stray gas mi-gration occurred. Isotope results were consistent with move-ment of stray gases, moving upward from a depth of at least1,500 m along the uncased and uncemented intermediatedepths into a large regional fault and moving along local bed-ding plane openings. Additional sampling of production gasesfor C-H isotopes, and annular space, production and waterwell gases for noble gas, dissolved nitrogen gas and CO2

gas analyses and presenting the results of any tests of themechanical integrity of the gas wells might have helped de-termine the exact depth of the source of the stray methane. Themovement of gas could have influenced the movement of the2-BE, a drilling fluid-, cement-, or hydraulic fracturing-relatedcontaminant that is also used in industrial solvents.

Discussion

The case studies presented here or summarized in theESM indicate that there were various causes of methanemigration. The most obvious was that there were sub-stantial lengths of (open-hole) production casings inboreholes that were uncemented or that there were bore-holes that were not cased at intermediate depths andwere thus left uncemented, leading to methane migra-tion from gas-charged nonproducing zones into interme-diate depths, or movement of gas from above-target for-mations. This occurred at multiple sites in Dimock,Sugar Run, and possibly at Shaws Corner, PA, and the

Fig. 13 Stable isotope ratios ofcarbon versus hydrogen forsamples taken from the annularspaces of gas wells (Welles 2–5)and impacted domestic waterwells (1, 3 and 5) for which dataexist. Predrill private well datawere collected in Bradford,Sullivan, Susquehanna and Tiogacounties, NE Pennsylvania(reproduced from Llewellyn et al.2015)

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Parson’s well in West Virginia. Three had low primaryTOC (<100 ft, 30.5 m) associated with lost circulationevents, which could have led to out-of-target-zone mi-gration of production gases. In Dimock GW-1, the iso-topic signature of gas in the annular space was consis-tent with that of the shallow Mahantango Shale, fromwhich 17 Mm3/day of flowing gas was reported.Limited chemical data (elevated Fe levels in two nearbyhouse wells) suggest that methane migration may haveoccurred prior to hydraulic fracturing. At two other sitesin Dimock, methane concentrations became elevated af-ter dril l ing but before hydraulic fracturing. AtBainbridge, OH, the low TOC may have allowed asmall amount of the oil and brine fluids used duringhydraulic fracturing to return to the surface throughthe annular space of the gas well (ESM). About onemonth la te r a b low-ou t and house exp los ionoccurred. The methane may have migrated from thetarget formation; however, no isotope analyses were per-formed that could confirm the source. At the MammCreek Field/West Divide Creek site, CO, the subjectgas well had a low TOC and the isotopic signaturesof the production, annular space and creek/monitoringwells were similar. This would suggest a commonsource unless there is a hydraulic connection betweendeep target and shallow nonproductive formations.Such a connection was evident at the Parker Countysite; however, the annular space isotopes had the char-acteristics of a shallow biogenic source and noble gasand dissolved nitrogen analyses indicated that the poten-tially impacted water wells had been drilled into theshallow, gas-charged Strawn Group. At Pavillion, theabsence of CO2, which was a residual in productiongases as a result of hydraulic fracturing, in bradenheadsamples is most consistent with natural conditions atdepth (rather than contamination). The deep FortUnion and shallower Wind River formations had similarisotope ratios; however, the maximum concentration ofmethane in water wells was less than 1 mg/L, suggest-ing that there was no significant impact due to methanemigration. The isotopic signatures of the methane fromthe Sugar Run gas well annular spaces and water wellswere similar, and about the same as regional averageMarcellus values; however, the relatively high primaryTOCs and intermediate and shallow squeezes suggestthat the methane could have migrated from intermediatelevel Middle Devonian formations. The ultimate sourceof the thermogenic gas could have been determined bysampling of production gases, noble gas/dissolved nitro-gen/CO2 analyses, and well integrity testing.

In the cases where squeeze cementing was performed, few-er than half of the procedures appear to have been fully suc-cessful. Others were partially successful in mitigating some

but not all of the impacts to private wells. Four wells (GW-1,GW-3, GW-3a and GW-3b) were plugged and abandoned inDimock. Methane concentrations in nearby water wells werereduced to safe levels after abandonment of one gas well(GW-1). At Dimock well pad 3, all three gas wells wereplugged, with the impacts in only one of four water wellsmitigated. At Dimock site 3, the C-H isotope analyses indicatea deep source (Mahantango-Tully formations) of the migratedgas, suggesting that the deep gas well (GW-3a) may havecaused the impacts. It is not clear if the shallow gas wells atthat site provided a portion of the pathway for the methanecontamination. The squeeze cement seals for the English 1well in Bainbridge (ESM) reduced, but did not eliminate theelevated methane levels in the nearby house wells. Thesqueeze remediation procedure on the Swartz 2-15B (02) wellin the Mamm Creek Field partially reduced but did not elim-inate the high concentrations of methane or benzene in themonitoring wells andWest Divide Creek (ESM). The benzenelevels in West Divide Creek were primarily reduced by a shal-low “surge” recovery and treatment system. Finally, in none ofthese studies was there clear evidence of leakage of fugitivegases due to production casing failures or clear evidence ofcontamination of water wells by hydraulic fracturing fluids.

Conclusions

This report presents the results of the relatively few, detailed,site-specific studies that have addressed methane migrationrelated to the hydraulic fracturing of shale-gas wells. Theydo not necessarily provide evidence of widespread regionalproblems. The actual scope of the problem is difficult to dem-onstrate, since impacts to water supplies due to migration offugitive gases are often adjudicated between operators andhomeowners involving nondisclosure agreements. In thecases presented in this report, the primary causes of methanemigration were uncemented sections of production casingsproviding conduits for gas flowmost likely from intermediate,generally nonproducing zones, to shallow aquifers. As a sec-ondary factor, several gas wells also lost circulation and thisultimately led to inadequate TOCs that were too low.

These results yield evidence that could improve themethods for preventing, detecting and mitigating impactsassociated with methane migration. The collection ofpredrilling samples is the best way to determine if methaneconcentrations increase after drilling or hydraulic fractur-ing. A secondary method is to collect samples before andafter venting of gas wells. Forensic methods are the bestway to determine sources of fugitive gases. For initial in-vestigations, isotope analyses (carbon, hydrogen) of gassamples from production casing, the annular space and wa-ter wells should be conducted. If there is the possibility ofcross-formation flow between target and intermediate

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formations such as in Parker County and Pavillion, analysisof noble gas stable isotopes should be completed. Carbondioxide and nitrogen analyses could be used to differentiatebetween near-surface and deep water sources. Thesemethods should be used in conjunction with downhole welllogging and mechanical integrity testing. Geological map-ping is inherently useful to constrain pathways or sources.In the cases presented, the impacts may have beenprevented by relatively low-cost primary cementation ofthe full lengths of the production casings to extend upwardto the inside of intermediate casing strings or to the surface,if there is no intermediate casing installed. Remediation ofgas wells with secondary cement squeezes at the varioussites was only successful in some cases. Finally, site-specific studies on the long-term fate of the integrity ofwellbore systems do not appear to exist. It has been about10 or more years since the impacts in the studies presentedin this review occurred. Some of the gas wells appear to stillbe in service and should be considered for additional studyto determine if the effects of the fugitive gases have dissi-pated or that additional well failures have occurred.

The cause of groundwater contamination in several settingshas sometimes been attributed to hydraulic fracturing withvery little proof. While this study did not address potentialcontamination by hydraulic fracturing fluids, this work dem-onstrated that in all the cases considered, gases cannot beproven to have escaped the target reservoir; rather, methaneleaking into groundwater re la ted to these wel lsprobably originated higher up in the stratigraphic/geologicalsection, mainly from uncemented or poorly cemented portionsof the well.

Acknowledgements The editor Dr. Jean-Michel Lemieux, an anonymousassociate editor, Dr. Thomas H. Darrah and one anonymous reviewer, andthe technical editorial advisor Sue Duncan, provided many useful com-ments and suggestions that greatly improved the content and organizationof the manuscript. Dr. Jean-Philippe Nicot made useful comments on anearly version of the manuscript. The views expressed in this report do notnecessarily reflect the views or policies the Maryland Department of theEnvironment.

Funding information Funding for S.L.B. and T.W. was derived fromgrant IIS-16-39150 to S.L.B. from the National Science Foundation.T.W. was also supported by the College of Earth and Mineral SciencesDean’s Fund for Postdoc-Facilitated Innovation at the Penn StateUniversity.

Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative CommonsAttribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing,adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, aslong as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and thesource, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate ifchanges weremade. The images or other third party material in this articleare included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicatedotherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in thearticle's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is notpermitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will

need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view acopy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

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