Oil and gas extraction is expanding in the United States, attributable to the success of high-volume hydraulic fracturing, and associated wastewater disposal is increasing as a result. The United States currently has at least 1.7 million active oil and gas wells, millions of abandoned wells, and 180,000 Class II injection wells associated with the oil and gas industry, more than 50,000 of them in California. Hydraulic fracturing and underground injection often occur many thousands of feet belowground.  Previously, we documented shallow hydraulic fracturing and other oil and gas activities in California and Wyoming in particular.  In eight CA counties, for example, as many as 19% and 35% of oil/gas activities have occurred directly in freshwater zones and USDWs, respectively (Kang and Jackson 2016 PNAS). Here we expand this analysis to examine the underground injection control program and accompanying hydrogeologic variables found in California and elsewhere. We also compare hydraulic fracturing activities and some attributes more likey to contribute to issues of groundwater quality.<br/>

Hydraulic fracturing, underground injection control, and drinking water interactions

253rd National Meeting (2017)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.