### Paul Ziemkiewicz, PhD 

### Director, West Virginia Water Research Institute 30 Mar 11

Water Research Institute West Virginia University 1

# •

# Water Management

•

# withdrawals

•

# Reuse

•

# Returned Frac Water/Produced Water

•

# Disposal Options

•

# Effects on Streams

Water Research Institute West Virginia University 2

## Coal: AMD treatment plants: Regulated under CWA
-NPDES

Active coal mines Abandoned mines Gas: Coal Bed Methane (CBM) Shale gas
-Marcellus abandoned wells Need to quantify each source’s contribution to TDS

Water Research Institute West Virginia University 3• 

### Active mines in the Pittsburgh Basin are up to 10 square miles

• 

### The seam is about six feet thick and about 80% of coal is removed

• 

### the down dip sections are pumped to control water levels in the mines
• • 

### The water is treated to remove acidity and metals

• 

### Resulting discharge can have high concentrations of sodium and sulfate

Water Research Institute West Virginia University 4Water Research Institute West Virginia Water Research Institute 5 

# Pittsburgh Basin Major AMD treatment plantsWater Research Institute West Virginia Water Research Institute 6 MODEL CONDITIONS Target instream [TDS] 500 mg/L Stream Q (cfs) 1500 cfs Factor of safety 2.0 BASELINE CONDITIONS MODEL OUTPUT Treatment discharge Actual Pumping Rate Actual Est.

TDS allocationPumping Rate Plant Mine Operator to (gpm) (cfs) [TDS] mg/L (TPY) % total (TPY) Q (cfs) Q (gpm) 1 No. 1 Refuse ABC WH 1,500 3.3 5000 16,537 2.8% 10,568 2.1 1,065 2 No. 2 Refuse ABC WH 250 0.6 4250 2,343 0.4% 1,497 0.4 178 3 No. 1 Refuse DEF TM 1,800 4.0 3500 13,891 2.4% 8,877 2.6 1,278 4 No. 2 Refuse DEF TM 1,100 2.4 3500 8,489 1.5% 5,425 1.6 781Water Research Institute West Virginia Water Research Institute 7 

### average maximum full pump observed observed capacity Dunkard Ck 153,340 190,784 257,950 RobinsonRun (Mon Co.) 11,000 22,000 17,600 Flaggy Meadows Run 12,205 34,166 47,300 

### Indian Ck 12,975 30,008 115,500 Paw Paw Ck 2,200 4,400 11,550 Buffalo Ck 10,043 36,938 36,300 Robinson Run (Marion Co.) 3,900 9,779 27,500 Total 205,662 328,075 513,700West Virginia Water Research Institute 8 

## MonWQ.net
Samples every two weeks since July 2009

# Returned Frac Water Chemistry

Water Research Institute West Virginia University 9

# Returned frac water

RFW 4 RFW 5 RFW 3 RFW 2 RFW 1 TDS 189,000 104,000 38,700 12,610 8,800 Cl 107,000 65,000 17,100 7,172 6,575 Na 48,100 33,700 8,560 2,863 3,550 Ca 22,200 12,800 1,640 1,749 319 Mg 2,000 1,470 193 122 31 Sr 2,970 1,440 301 nd nd K 668 444 243 57 SO4 49 414 28 71 99 Ba 1,300 176 175 nd 27 Fe 48 30 37 27 37 pH 5.7 6.3 7.4 6.1 7.6 TSS 519 570 99 220 44 O&G 3 nd 5 49 5 

### Returned frac water chemistry from five Marcellus wells Water Research Institute West Virginia University 10



# RFW is predominantly Na, Ca,Cl

# Returned frac water

0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,000 3,500 4,000 4,500

0 20,000 40,000 60,000 80,000 100,000 120,000 140,000 160,000 180,000

Day 1 Day 5 Day 10 Day 20 Day 30 Ca Na Cl TDS Flow TDS (mg/L) Flow (bpd) 

### The flow back from an horizontal Marcellus well greatest initially (~ 5,000 barrels per day) It slows to about 10 bpd after the first couple of weeks. The initial flow back reflects injected water more while later flow back is more influenced by salts in the formation. Water Research Institute West Virginia University 11



# Salt concentrations increase as flow decreases

# Relative TDS loads
Relative Loadings 1 frac job 6 million gal* 1 UG mine discharge 2.3 3,000 gpm TDS 150,000 5,000 mg/L TDS 753 33,000 tpy ratio Frac/mine 44 1 # units 613 14 TDS 462,000 462,000 tpy

* assumes 20% RFW This analysis compares the TDS loadings from large, treated coal mine discharges and Marcellus wells. One large mine discharge generates as 

### much TDS as 44 Marcellus wells. Water Research Institute West Virginia University 12



# Mines vs. Marcellus

#  

# Underground injection  

# Pre-treat then send to sewage treatment plant  

# Evaporation/crystallization  

# Recycle  

# Illegal dumping

Water Research Institute West Virginia University 13

# Treatment options

Pre-treatment normally required to remove barium and strontium Sulfate is normally added to precipitate insoluble 

### BaSO4 and SrSO4 That leaves substantial sulfate plus sodium and chloride in the STP’s effluent. Water Research Institute West Virginia University 14



# Sewage Treatment Plant

# RFW treatment facilities in Pennsylvania
These facilities add flocculating agents to RFW or produced water to precipitate hazardous ions, landfill the salts and discharge water to a stream. Treated brine is sold for winter deicing. This process does not significantly lower the total salt content Water Research Institute West Virginia University 15 

# Partial treatment and discharge

# Treatment options

 

### State prosecutors charged a Greene County man Thursday with illegally dumping millions of gallons of Marcellus Shale wastewater in holes, mine shafts and waterways in a six
-county region from 2003 to 2009.

 

### The drivers told the grand jury that the accused showed them how to leave water valves open at gas wells in order to allow production water to flow onto the ground and into nearby waterways. The drivers said this was typically done after dark or during heavy rains in order to conceal the illegal discharge.

 

### ... directed them to dump residual wastewater left in the trucks at the end of the day down a drain at his business. The drain leads to Tom's Run, a tributary of Dunkard Creek.

 

### It is also alleged that the accused directed waste products to be dumped into the Morris Run air shaft at the abandonedBlacksvilleNo. 1 Mine along Morris Run Creek Washington PA OBSERVER REPORTER: Waste hauler accused of illegal dumping 3/18/2011 By TaraKinsell, Staff writer

Water Research Institute West Virginia University 16



# Illegal Dumping Charged

# Stream Effects

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900

0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000
7/28/2009 8/25/09 9/22/09 10/20/09 11/17/09 12/16/09 1/21/10 2/18/10 3/18/10 4/15/10 5/13/10 6/11/10 7/7/10 8/4/10 9/1/10 9/30/10 10/27/10 12/3/10 1/6/11 2/4/11

TDS (mg/L) TDS Load (tpy x 1,000)

Na Ca Mg Cl SO4 alk TDS (mg/L) 

### During the wet season in both 2010 and 2011 sodium and chloride loadings increased dramatically in the Youghiogheny River. Since this took place during a period of high flows, it only accounted for a short period when [TDS] exceeded 500 mg/L Water Research Institute West Virginia University 17



# Brine Disposal in the Youghiogheny River

## DRY SEASON

AVGTDS=335,000TPY 

## WET SEASON AVGTDS=971,000TPY

Water Research Institute West Virginia University 18



### Cl
Na SO4 Mg

HCO3 

### Ca
SO4 Na Mg

Ca HCO3 ClWater Research Institute West Virginia University 19 Brine Mine waterWater Research Institute West Virginia University 20



### Tygart Valley

Mon 89 West Fork Mon 102 alk Ca Mg SO4 Na Cl 

### Mon 82 Mon 23 alk Ca Mg SO4 Na Cl

## FLOW (CFS) TDS

Water Research Institute West Virginia University 21

1,919 Yough

Ten Mile Whitley Dunkard Cheat Robinson Deckers Flaggy M Indian White D Tygart V West Fk 449,981 Yough Ten Mile Whitley Dunkard Cheat Robinson Deckers Flaggy M Indian White D Tygart V West Fk

## SODIUM CHLORIDE

Water Research Institute West Virginia University 22 73,945 Yough

Ten Mile Whitley Dunkard Cheat Robinson Deckers Flaggy M Indian White D Tygart V West Fk 64,203 Yough

Ten Mile Whitley Dunkard Cheat Robinson Deckers Flaggy M Indian White D Tygart V West Fk

## MAGNESIUM SULFATE

Water Research Institute West Virginia University 23 133,562 Yough

Ten Mile Whitley Dunkard Cheat Robinson Deckers Flaggy M Indian White D Tygart V West Fk 16,671 Yough

Ten Mile Whitley Dunkard Cheat Robinson Deckers Flaggy M Indian White D Tygart V West FkWater Research Institute West Virginia University 24 

### 2010 averages M23

CH DE TV

WF 

### M102

M89

DU

### WH M82 TE YOWater Research Institute West Virginia University 25 

### 2010 averages M23 M102

DU

YO WH

M82
TE TV

WF M89

# Stream effects

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

RO FM IN WF DU M89 M102 M82 CH DE M23 TV WH TE YO 

### AverageCl/SO4 July 09 to June 10



### Increasing mine water The ratio to chloride to sulfate ions appears to distinguish coal mine discharge from brine. Water Research Institute West Virginia University 26 

### Increasing brine 

## Is that treated mine water or frac water in my stream?

# Discharge Management Controlling AMD plant discharges from the upper Monongahela basin during the dry season substantially reduced the TDS at mile 82.

TDS remained below 500 mg/L at both mile 82 and mile 23 but concentrations and loads were about double during the dry season at mile 23 Water Research Institute West Virginia University 27

0 100 200 300 400 500 600

0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000 TDS (mg/L) TDS Load (tpy x 1,000)

Na Ca Mg Cl SO4 alk mg/L 

### B 0 100 200 300 400 500 600

0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 TDS (mg/L) TDS Load (tpy x 1,000) 

### A 

## Monongahela River July 09 to Feb 11 @

A: mile 82 (Masontown) PA B: mile 23 (Elizabeth) PA

# Quality control

Other than the Tygart Valley River, most charge balances over 2010 were reasonably good Water Research Institute West Virginia University 28



# Anion/cationcharge balances 2010 avg (keq) Site anion cation 

### charge balance Dunkard Ck 2,132 2,061 3% West Fork R 2,931 2,833 3% TenmileCk 543 571 5% Decker’s Ck 176 187 6% WhiteleyCk 1,543 1,416 9% Youghiogheny R 10,573 11,658 10% Mon mile 15 29,402 32,932 11% 

### Mon mile 23 18,829 21,274 12% Mon mile 102 7,072 8,098 14% Mon mile 82 14,428 16,919 16% Mon mile 89 7,854 9,283 17% Cheat R 282 337 18% Tygart Valley R 1,016 1,515 39%

##  

# Our sampling has not identified a [TDS] in excess of 500 mg/L since December 09  

# [TDS] did not exceed 400 mg/L at Mile 82 in 2010  

# [TDS] did not exceed 500 mg/L at Mile 23 in 2010  

# The coal industry adjusts its discharge to stream flow by controlling its mine pumping rates  

# There is evidence that brine disposal is also seasonal  

# Managed discharge is effective  

# Brine management and abandoned mines must be accounted for, otherwise assimilative capacity could be exhausted  

# Mass balances are useful method for evaluating the effectiveness of TDS control options

Water Research Institute West Virginia University 29

##  

# Brine chemistry is dominated byNaCl  

# Treated coal mine drainage is mainly Na/Ca SO4  

# The results indicate brine disposal in three PA streams  

# TDS load in the Monongahela River (McKeesport PA) averaged 2,000,000tpy  

# Coal mine drainage accounts for between 250,000 and 500,000 tons of TDS/year  

# We have no comparable data for brine disposal or discharges from abandoned mines

Water Research Institute West Virginia University 30

# Questions?

Water Research Institute West Virginia University 31