California Oil, Gas, and Groundwater (COGG) Program Active
The USGS California Water Science Center is working in partnership with state and federal agencies to answer the following questions about oil and gas development and groundwater resources:
- Where are protected groundwater resources?
- How close are oil and gas operations and protected groundwater, and what geologic materials separate them?
- Where is there evidence of fluids from oil and gas sources in protected groundwater? Where does evidence indicate no connections?
- When fluids from oil and gas sources are present in protected groundwater, what pathways or processes are responsible for observed transport?
- Have oil and gas operations as a whole contributed to water-quality changes in groundwater basins?
The program's framework was developed and adopted by the California State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) in July 2015.
The USGS is the technical lead in implementing the State Water Boards' Oil and Gas Regional Groundwater Monitoring Programthrough the COGG program. The program receives funding from the California State Water Resources Control Board, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, and USGS cooperative matching funds.
>> Explore the Program
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
Fluid levels in the Oxnard Oil Field, Ventura County, California
Water chemistry data for samples collected at groundwater sites near the Oxnard oil field, June 2017-August 2017, Ventura County, California
Inorganic chemistry data for groundwater wells near selected oil fields in the southwestern San Joaquin Valley, central California
Aquifer test data for the Belridge multiple-well monitoring site (BWSD), Kern County, California
Historical produced water chemistry data compiled for selected oil fields in Los Angeles and Orange Counties, southern California
Historical Produced Water Chemistry Data Compiled for the Elk Hills Oilfield, Kern County, California
Historical produced water chemistry data compiled for the Orcutt and Oxnard oil fields, Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties, southern California
Aquifer test data for multiple-well monitoring site LHSP, Kern County, California
Geochemical and geophysical data for selected wells in and surrounding the South Cuyama oil and gas field
Historical Produced Water Chemistry Data Compiled for the Lost Hills and North and South Belridge Oilfields, Kern County, California
Geophysical and geochemical data for salinity mapping in the Midway-Sunset oil field area
Geochemical and geophysical data for wells in the Fruitvale and Rosedale Ranch oil and gas fields, Kern County, California, USA
Below are publications associated with this project.
A novel method for the extraction, purification and characterization of noble gases in produced fluids
Groundwater salinity and the effects of produced water disposal in the Lost Hills-Belridge oilfields, Kern County, California
Occurrence and sources of radium in groundwater associated with oil fields in the southern San Joaquin Valley, California
Groundwater quality of a public supply aquifer in proximity to oil development, Fruitvale Oil Field, Bakersfield, California
Contaminant baselines and sediment provenance along the Puget Sound Energy Transport Corridor, 2015
Organic geochemistry and toxicology of a stream impacted by unconventional oil and gas wastewater disposal operations
Land subsidence along the California Aqueduct in west-central San Joaquin Valley, California, 2003–10
Regional patterns in the geochemistry of oil-field water, southern San Joaquin Valley, California, USA
Groundwater salinity mapping using geophysical log analysis within the Fruitvale and Rosedale Ranch oil fields, Kern County, California, USA
Preliminary groundwater salinity mapping near selected oil fields using historical water-sample data, central and southern California
Prioritization of oil and gas fields for regional groundwater monitoring based on a preliminary assessment of petroleum resource development and proximity to California’s groundwater resources
Tracing enhanced oil recovery signatures in casing gases from the Lost Hills oil field using noble gases
Below are news stories associated with this project.
The USGS is the technical lead in implementing the State Water Boards' Oil and Gas Regional Groundwater Monitoring Program through the COGG program. The program receives funding from the California State Water Resources Control Board, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, and USGS cooperative matching funds.
- Overview
The USGS California Water Science Center is working in partnership with state and federal agencies to answer the following questions about oil and gas development and groundwater resources:
- Where are protected groundwater resources?
- How close are oil and gas operations and protected groundwater, and what geologic materials separate them?
- Where is there evidence of fluids from oil and gas sources in protected groundwater? Where does evidence indicate no connections?
- When fluids from oil and gas sources are present in protected groundwater, what pathways or processes are responsible for observed transport?
- Have oil and gas operations as a whole contributed to water-quality changes in groundwater basins?
The program's framework was developed and adopted by the California State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) in July 2015.
The USGS is the technical lead in implementing the State Water Boards' Oil and Gas Regional Groundwater Monitoring Programthrough the COGG program. The program receives funding from the California State Water Resources Control Board, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, and USGS cooperative matching funds.
>> Explore the Program
- Data
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 30Fluid levels in the Oxnard Oil Field, Ventura County, California
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB), compiled Fall 2017 fluid level elevation data from idle oil and gas wells in the Oxnard Oil Field to estimate vertical hydraulic head difference between oil production and overlying groundwater aquifer zones. Fluid elevations came from two sources, measurements in idle oil and gas welWater chemistry data for samples collected at groundwater sites near the Oxnard oil field, June 2017-August 2017, Ventura County, California
In cooperation with the California State Water Resources Control Board's oil and gas Regional Monitoring Program, the U.S. Geological Survey collected and analyzed groundwater and associated quality control (QC) samples during June 2017 - August 2017. Groundwater samples were collected from one public supply well, four monitoring wells, and nine irrigation wells located within a three- mile bufferInorganic chemistry data for groundwater wells near selected oil fields in the southwestern San Joaquin Valley, central California
This digital dataset contains geochemical and other information for 1,209 samples of groundwater from 343 wells located within 3-miles of the Buena Vista, Elk Hills, Midway-Sunset, and North and South Coles Levee oil fields in the southwestern San Joaquin Valley of central California. Data were compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) from preexisting datasets and transferred manually into twAquifer test data for the Belridge multiple-well monitoring site (BWSD), Kern County, California
To determine aquifer characteristics, pneumatic slug tests were performed on selected zones and aquifers at a monitoring site near the North and South Belridge oil fields in the Southern San Joaquin Valley in Kern County. On November 19th and 20th, 2018, pneumatic slug tests were performed at five monitoring wells located at the multiple-well groundwater-monitoring site BWSD (28S/21E-08M1 throughHistorical produced water chemistry data compiled for selected oil fields in Los Angeles and Orange Counties, southern California
This digital dataset contains historical geochemical and other information for 200 samples of produced water from 182 sites in 25 oil fields in Los Angeles and Orange Counties, southern California. Produced water is a term used in the oil industry to describe water that is produced as a byproduct along with the oil and gas. The locations from which these historical samples have been collected inclHistorical Produced Water Chemistry Data Compiled for the Elk Hills Oilfield, Kern County, California
This dataset contains geochemical and other information for 340 samples of produced water from the Elk Hills Oil Field. Water that is produced as a byproduct of oil production is called produced water. The publicly available produced water chemistry data was compiled by USGS staff using historical DOGGR datasets and scanned images. The data were transferred manually into a numerical dataset and orHistorical produced water chemistry data compiled for the Orcutt and Oxnard oil fields, Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties, southern California
This digital dataset represents historical geochemical and other information for 58 sample results of produced water from 56 sites in the Orcutt and Oxnard oil fields in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties, respectively, in southern California. Produced water is a term used in the oil industry to describe water that is produced as a byproduct along with the oil and gas. The locations from which theAquifer test data for multiple-well monitoring site LHSP, Kern County, California
To determine aquifer characteristics, pneumatic slug tests were performed on selected zones and aquifers at a monitoring site near the Lost Hills oil field in the Southern San Joaquin Valley in Kern County. On May 30th and 31st, 2018, pneumatic slug tests were performed at five monitoring wells located at the multiple-well groundwater-monitoring site LHSP (26S/21E-07J1 through ?J5) near Lost HillsGeochemical and geophysical data for selected wells in and surrounding the South Cuyama oil and gas field
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the California State Water Resources Control Board and Bureau of Land Management compiled and analyzed data for mapping groundwater salinity in selected oil and gas fields in California. The data for the South Cuyama oil field includes well construction data, digitized borehole geophysical data, geochemical analyses of water samples from oil anHistorical Produced Water Chemistry Data Compiled for the Lost Hills and North and South Belridge Oilfields, Kern County, California
This dataset contains geochemical and other information for 268 samples of produced water from the Lost Hills and North and South Belridge Oil Fields. Produced water is water coexisting with oil and gas. The historical produced water chemistry data was compiled from preexisting datasets and scanned images into a numerical dataset to characterize produced water chemical characteristics. Each sampleGeophysical and geochemical data for salinity mapping in the Midway-Sunset oil field area
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and California State University-Sacramento, in cooperation with the California State Water Resources Control Board and U.S. Bureau of Land Management, compiled and analyzed data for mapping groundwater salinity in selected oil and gas fields in California. The data for the Midway-Sunset (MWSS) oil field includes digitized borehole geophysical data, geochemical anaGeochemical and geophysical data for wells in the Fruitvale and Rosedale Ranch oil and gas fields, Kern County, California, USA
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the California State Water Resources Control Board compiled and analyzed data for the purpose of mapping groundwater salinity in selected oil and gas fields in California. The data for the Fruitvale and Rosedale Ranch oil fields include well construction data, digitized borehole geophysical data, geochemical analyses of water samples from oil a - Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 35A novel method for the extraction, purification and characterization of noble gases in produced fluids
Hydrocarbon systems with declining or viscous oil production are often stimulated using enhanced oil recovery (EOR) techniques, such as the injection of water, steam and CO2, in order to increase oil and gas production. As EOR and other methods of enhancing production such as hydraulic fracturing have become more prevalent, environmental concerns about the impact of both new and historical hydrocaAuthorsRebecca L. Tyne, Peter H Barry, D J Hillegonds, Andrew Hunt, Justin T. Kulongoski, Michael J. Stephens, D.J. Byrne, C. J. BallentineGroundwater salinity and the effects of produced water disposal in the Lost Hills-Belridge oilfields, Kern County, California
Increased oil and gas production in many areas has led to concerns over the effects these activities may be having on nearby groundwater quality. In this study we determine the lateral and vertical extent of groundwater with less than 10,000 milligrams per liter (mg/l) total dissolved solids (TDS) near the Lost Hills-Belridge oilfields in northwestern Kern County, California and document evidenceAuthorsJanice M. Gillespie, Tracy Davis, Michael J. Stephens, Lyndsay B. Ball, Matthew K. LandonOccurrence and sources of radium in groundwater associated with oil fields in the southern San Joaquin Valley, California
Geochemical data from 40 water wells were used to examine the occurrence and sources of radium (Ra) in groundwater associated with three oil fields in California (Fruitvale, Lost Hills, South Belridge). 226Ra+228Ra activities (range=0.010-0.51 Bq/L) exceeded the 0.185 Bq/L drinking-water standard in 18% of the wells (not drinking-water wells). Radium activities were correlated with TDS concentratiAuthorsPeter B. McMahon, Avner Vengosh, Tracy Davis, Matthew K. Landon, Rebecca L. Tyne, Michael Wright, Justin T. Kulongoski, Andrew G. Hunt, Peter H. Barry, A.J. Kondash, Z. Wang, Christopher J. BallentineGroundwater quality of a public supply aquifer in proximity to oil development, Fruitvale Oil Field, Bakersfield, California
Due to concerns over the effects of oil production activities on groundwater quality in California, chemical, isotopic, dissolved gas and age-dating tracers were analyzed in samples collected from public-supply wells and produced-water sites in the Fruitvale oil field (FVOF). A combination of newly collected and historical data was used to determine whether oil formation fluids have mixed with groAuthorsMichael Wright, Peter B. McMahon, Matthew K. Landon, Justin T. KulongoskiContaminant baselines and sediment provenance along the Puget Sound Energy Transport Corridor, 2015
The transport of coal and oil can result in contaminated soil, water, and organisms from unintended releases. Trains carrying coal and crude oil regularly pass through Puget Sound, Washington, and an increase in the number of coal and oil trains is expected in the future. This study characterized levels of potentially toxic contaminants in sediment in September 2015: arsenic, metals, and polycycliAuthorsRenee K. Takesue, Pamela L. CampbellOrganic geochemistry and toxicology of a stream impacted by unconventional oil and gas wastewater disposal operations
Water and sediment extracts samples were analyzed for extractable hydrocarbons by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) using an Agilent (Agilent Technologies, Palo Alto, CA, USA) 7890 series GC and 5975 electron ionization (EI) mass selective detector (MSD) operated in scan mode. Agilent ChemStation software was used for data acquisition and analysis (version E.02.00.493 on GC/MS computerAuthorsWilliam H. Orem, Matthew S. Varonka, Lynn M. Crosby, Karl B. Haase, Keith A. Loftin, Michelle L. Hladik, Denise M. Akob, Calin Tatu, Adam C. Mumford, Jeanne B. Jaeschke, Anne L. Bates, Tiffani Schell, Isabelle M. CozzarelliLand subsidence along the California Aqueduct in west-central San Joaquin Valley, California, 2003–10
Extensive groundwater withdrawal from the unconsolidated deposits in the San Joaquin Valley caused widespread aquifer-system compaction and resultant land subsidence from 1926 to 1970—locally exceeding 8.5 meters. The importation of surface water beginning in the early 1950s through the Delta-Mendota Canal and in the early 1970s through the California Aqueduct resulted in decreased groundwater pumAuthorsMichelle Sneed, Justin T. Brandt, Michael SoltRegional patterns in the geochemistry of oil-field water, southern San Joaquin Valley, California, USA
Chemical and isotopic data for water co-extracted with hydrocarbons in oil and gas fields are commonly used to examine the source of the formation water and possible impacts on groundwater in areas of oil and gas development. Understanding the geochemical variability of oil-field water could help to evaluate its origin and delineate possible contamination of shallow aquifers in cases where oil-fieAuthorsPeter B. McMahon, Justin T. Kulongoski, Avner Vengosh, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli, Matthew K. Landon, Yousif K. Kharaka, Janice M. Gillespie, Tracy DavisGroundwater salinity mapping using geophysical log analysis within the Fruitvale and Rosedale Ranch oil fields, Kern County, California, USA
A method is presented for deriving a volume model of groundwater total dissolved solids (TDS) from borehole geophysical and aqueous geochemical measurements. While previous TDS mapping techniques have proved useful in the hydrogeologic setting in which they were developed, they may yield poor results in settings with lithological heterogeneity, complex water chemistry, or limited data. Problems arAuthorsMichael J. Stephens, David H. Shimabukuro, Janice M. Gillespie, Will ChangPreliminary groundwater salinity mapping near selected oil fields using historical water-sample data, central and southern California
The distribution of groundwater salinity was mapped for 31 oil fields and adjacent aquifers and summarized by 8 subregions across major oil-producing areas of central and southern California. The objectives of this study were to describe the distribution of groundwater near oil fields having total dissolved solids less than 10,000 milligrams per liter (mg/L) based on available data and to documentAuthorsLoren F. Metzger, Matthew K. LandonPrioritization of oil and gas fields for regional groundwater monitoring based on a preliminary assessment of petroleum resource development and proximity to California’s groundwater resources
The California State Water Resources Control Board initiated a regional monitoring program in July 2015 to determine where and to what degree groundwater quality may be adversely impacted by oil and gas development activities. A key issue in the implementation of the regional groundwater monitoring program is that each year, detailed characterization work can be done in only a few of California’sAuthorsTracy Davis, Matthew K. Landon, George L. Bennett VTracing enhanced oil recovery signatures in casing gases from the Lost Hills oil field using noble gases
Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and hydraulic fracturing practices are commonly used methods to improve hydrocarbon extraction efficiency; however the environmental impacts of such practices remain poorly understood. EOR is particularly prevalent in oil fields throughout California where water resources are in high demand and disposal of high volumes of produced water may affect groundwater quality. CAuthorsPeter H. Barry, Justin T. Kulongoski, Matthew K. Landon, R. L. Tyne, Janice M. Gillespie, Michael J. Stephens, D.J. Hillegonds, D.J. Byrne, C.J. Ballentine - News
Below are news stories associated with this project.
- Partners
The USGS is the technical lead in implementing the State Water Boards' Oil and Gas Regional Groundwater Monitoring Program through the COGG program. The program receives funding from the California State Water Resources Control Board, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, and USGS cooperative matching funds.