Purging and other sampling variables affecting dissolved methane concentration in water supply wells

The Science of the Total Environment
Lisa J MolofskyTom Wagner

Abstract

Determining whether changes in groundwater methane concentration are naturally occurring or related to oil and gas operations can be complicated by numerous sources of variability. This study of 10 residential water supply wells in Northeastern Pennsylvania evaluates how i) sampling from different points within the water well system, ii) purging different water volumes prior to sampling, and ii) natural variation over time, affects concentrations of naturally occurring dissolved methane and other water quality parameters. Among the population of wells, all had dissolved methane concentrations >1mg/L. Regardless of the volume of water purged or the timing between events, the maximum change in methane concentration (ratio of maximum to minimum concentration) among samples from a single well was 3.2, with eight out of ten wells exhibiting a maximum change less than a factor of two (i.e., <±100%). Among water wells where methane concentration changed by ±50% or more, there was a strong correlation with changes in the concentrations of sodium, chloride, and other salinity indicators such as specific conductivity and TDS. This suggests that significant variability in methane concentration is predominantly related to changes in the re...Continue Reading

References

Apr 12, 2005·Ground Water·Dale Van StempvoortKathleen Rich
Apr 9, 2013·Ground Water·Lisa J MolofskyShahla K Farhat
Sep 17, 2014·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Thomas H DarrahRobert J Poreda

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Jun 10, 2019·Environmental Science and Pollution Research International·Bahareh FallahAmgad Salama

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Bladder Carcinoma In Situ

Bladder Carcinoma In Situ is a superficial bladder cancer that occurs on the surface layer of the bladder. Discover the latest research on this precancerous condition in this feed.

Related Papers

Journal of Environmental Science and Health. Part A, Toxic/hazardous Substances & Environmental Engineering
Thomas SpanosPavlina Simeonova
Journal of Contaminant Hydrology
Lindsay A McMillanHelen Sharp
© 2022 Meta ULC. All rights reserved