New Study Fails to Link Drilling and Water Contamination in West Texas
Friday April 29, 2016
This week, researchers at University of Texas – Arlington (UTA) released a new study that suggests drilling may be impacting water quality in West Texas’ Cline Shale region. But the data in the study tell a much different story. Moreover, issues with the study’s methodology and lack of baseline data cast additional doubt on the legitimacy of the research team’s claims.
‘Sporadic’ Results
The researchers tested for a range of chemicals and substances in a handful of the region’s water wells – everything from pH level and total dissolved solids to alcohols and heavy metals. Taking multiple samples from 36 to 42 wells during each of the four phases, the researchers then compared the levels of constituents against health guidelines, such as Maximum Contaminant Limits (MCL) and health advisory levels (HAL).
By testing these constituent levels over time, the researchers hoped to show the levels correlated with an increase in oil and natural gas activities. What they found however, was wild swings in chemical levels across the four phases. For example, the percentage of samples that were equal to or above MCL for arsenic declined as the sampling progressed, but total dissolved solid increased. Additionally, for pH, only Phase 2 showed any wells that exceeded the MCL. Iron levels also fell from Phase 1 to 2 and from Phase 2 to 3, but then increased from Phase 3 to 4.
If a connection between drilling activity and water contamination existed, the results would show a general increase in substances over time – not wildly divergent trends, as the data in the UTA study show.
The researchers did acknowledge that these substances, based on the results, could dissipate over time, which is another example of how groundwater testing is complex and often times quite difficult. Nonetheless, such large fluctuations in constituent levels would be unlikely if drilling were playing a significant role in water quality issues.
The researchers partially conceded this point, writing that their data “do not provide a definitive link” between drilling and contamination. They also concluded that if any contamination were occurring, it would be “sporadic” and not “widespread.” As the authors note:
“The ephemeral detections of dichloromethane and various org...