# Water Requirements for Shale Gas Activities in the Marcellus 

# and Fayetteville Shale

John Veil Veil Environmental, LLC john@veilenvironmental.com 410-212-0950

### Statistics on Water Requirements for Marcellus Shale

 Make estimate of maximum volume of water needed to meet Marcellus Shale fraccing needs

– Estimate volume of water per well

– Estimate maximum number of wells in a year

### Pennsylvania Drilling Permits and Wells Drilled Year Marcellus Shale

Drilling Permits Issued Marcellus Shale

Wells Drilled 2007 99 18 (July– December) 2008 519 196 2009 1,985 763 2010 1,398 (January –

June) 564 (January - June) Source: PA DEP website

 the number of wells actually drilled during the first six months of 2010 can be doubled to estimate a full year (1,128).  The ratio of 2010 extrapolated drilled wells to 2009 drilled wells (1,128 to 763) = 1.48.  Assuming the same 48% increase over the 2010 estimate for future growth, a hypothetical maximum is 1,128 x 1.48 =

# 1 ,669 wells.

### West Virginia Drilling Permits and Wells Drilled Year Marcellus Shale Drilling Permits Issued Marcellus Shale Wells Drilled 2007 152 143 2008 400 274 2009 424 47 2010 176 (January – June) 1 (January – June) Source: WV DEP website  The ratio of drilled wells to drilling permits was 95% in 2007 and 69% in 2008.  Applying the 2008 ratio to the total number of drilling permits in 2009 (0.69 x 424) gives an estimated hypothetical maximum of

# 293 wells

.

### New York Drilling Permits and Wells Drilled

 New York has moratorium on Marcellus Shale wells  No good way to predict maximum number of wells  Chose to estimate maximum New York wells to be the same as maximum West Virginia wells

## =

# 293 wells Year Total Drilling Permits Issued (not

necessarily Marcellus Shale) Total Wells Drilled 2008 744 ?? 2009 552 ?? 2010 302 (January – August) ?? Source: presentation made by Jack Dahl, NY DEC, August 24, 2010

### Hypothetical Maximum Water Demand for Marcellus State Hypothetical Maximum Number of Wells Drilled in a Year Annual Volume

under Scenario 1: 1 MG of water needed per well Annual Volume

under Scenario 2: 2.8 MG of water needed per well Annual Volume

under Scenario 3: 3.9 MG of water needed per well Annual Volume

under Scenario 4: 5 MG of water needed per well PA 1,669 1,669 MG 4,673 MG 6,509 MG 8,345 MG WV 293 293 MG 820 MG 1,142 MG 1,465 MG NY 293 293 MG 820 MG 1,142 MG 1,465 MG Total 

### 2,255 2,255 MG 6,314 MG 8,795 MG 11,275 MG
 Caveats

– estimates of maximum wells drilled could significantly overestimate or underestimate the actual quantity

– assumed maximum number in one state will not necessarily correspond to the maximum in each of the other states

– As gas companies refine and improve their efforts to recycle and reuse flowback and produced water from wells already fracced, the water needed per well may decrease

– if operators drill longer horizontal wells with more frac stages, the volume per well could increase

### Actual Water Withdrawals for 2005 (in MGD) Category New York Pennsylvania West Virginia Total Public Supply 2,530 1,420 189 4,139 Domestic 140 152 34 326 Irrigation 51 24 <1 75 Livestock 30 62 5 97 Aquaculture 63 524 53 640 Industrial 301 770 966 2,037 Mining 33 96 14 143 Thermoelectric 7,140 6,430 3,550 17,120 Total 10,288 9,478 4,811 24,577 Source: USGS report (Kenny et al. 2009)

### Comparison of Marcellus Shale Water Needs with Actual Withdrawal Volume Percentage Water Required for Shale Gas Production Compared to Total Withdrawal Water needed for shale gas 6.2– 31 MGD 100% Total water withdrawal 24,577 MGD 0.03%– 0.13% Total water withdrawal excluding thermoelectric uses 7,457 MGD 0.08%– 0.42%

### Arkansas Completions in the Fayetteville Shale Year Fayetteville Shale Completions 2007 411 2008 683 2009 839 2010 728 (January – October) 2010– extrapolated to full year 874 Source: AR O&G Commission website



#  Assume 1,000 wells.

### Actual Water Withdrawals for 2005 (in MGD) Category Arkansas Public Supply 266 Domestic 0 Irrigation 1,510 Livestock 23.3 Aquaculture 10.6 Industrial 113 Mining 1 Thermoelectric 2,000 Total 3,920 Source: USGS report (Kenny et al. 2009)

### Comparison of Fayetteville Shale Water Needs with Actual Withdrawal Volume Percentage Water Required for Shale Gas Production Compared to Total Withdrawal Water needed for shale gas (assume 5 MG/well) 13.7 MGD 100% Total water withdrawal 3,920 MGD 0.35%