The primary objective of this project is to provide information on the volume, quality, impacts, and possible uses of water produced during generation and development of energy resources (particularly hydrocarbons) as well as related fluids injected into reservoirs for energy development and associated waste disposal. The purpose of this work is to address scientific and societal questions regarding the linkage between energy development and water resources, and the characteristics and effects of aqueous fluids in hydrocarbon systems.
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Geophysical mapping of produced water in near-surface environments
Quantities of water associated with oil and gas development
Hydraulic Fracturing
Characterization and Reuse of Oil and Gas Waters
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
U.S. Geological Survey National Produced Waters Geochemical Database v2.3
Absorbance and Fluorescence Excitation-Emission Matrix Data for Produced Waters from Oil and Gas Producing Basins in the United States
Microbiology of the Utica Shale
Geochemistry of Utica Shale Play and other Appalachian produced waters
Low biomass microbiology samples collected from a hydraulically fractured well producing from the Niobrara Shale in Colorado
Direct Trace Element Determination in Oil and Gas Produced Waters with Inductively Coupled Plasma - Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES): Advantages of High Salinity Tolerance (2019)
Organic Analysis of Oilfield Wastewater from the Williston Basin, North Dakota
Input forms for 2016 water and proppant assessment of the Bakken and Three Forks Formations, Williston Basin, USA
Airborne electromagnetic and magnetic survey data, East Poplar Oil Field and surrounding area, October 2014, Fort Peck Indian Reservation, Montana
Below are publications associated with this project.
Dissolved organic matter within oil and gas associated wastewaters from U.S. unconventional petroleum plays: Comparisons and consequences for disposal and reuse
Machine learning can assign geologic basin to produced water samples using major ion geochemistry
Insights on geochemical, isotopic, and volumetric compositions of produced water from hydraulically fractured Williston Basin oil wells
Tracing produced water origins from wells hydraulically fractured with freshwater-based fluids is sometimes predicated on assumptions that (1) each geological formation contains compositionally unique brine and (2) produced water from recently hydraulically fractured wells resembles fresher meteoric water more so than produced water from older wells. These assumptions are not valid in Williston Ba
Utica shale play oil and gas brines: Geochemistry and factors influencing wastewater management
The Utica and Marcellus Shale Plays in the Appalachian Basin are the fourth and first largest natural gas producing plays in the United States, respectively. Hydrocarbon production generates large volumes of brine (“produced water”) that must be disposed of, treated, or reused. Though Marcellus brines have been studied extensively, there are few studies from the Utica Shale Play. This study presen
Repetitive sampling and control threshold improve 16S rRNA results from produced waters associated with hydraulically fractured shales
Compositional analysis of formation water geochemistry and microbiology of commercial and carbon dioxide-rich wells in the southwestern United States
Organic compounds in produced waters from the Bakken Formation and Three Forks Formation in the Williston Basin, North Dakota
Direct trace element determination in oil and gas produced waters with inductively coupled plasma - Optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES): Advantages of high salinity tolerance
Accuracy of methods for reporting inorganic element concentrations and radioactivity in oil and gas wastewaters from the Appalachian Basin, U.S. based on an inter-laboratory comparison.
Mapping protected groundwater adjacent to oil and gas fields, San Joaquin Valley, California
Monitoring brine contamination using time-lapse airborne electromagnetic surveys, East Poplar Oil Field, Montana
The isometric log-ratio (ilr)-ion plot: A proposed alternative to the Piper diagram
U.S. Geological Survey National Produced Waters Geochemical Database Viewer
The U.S. Geological Survey National Produced Waters Geochemical Database v2.3 Viewer provides access to an updated compilation of geochemical and related information for water from oil and gas wells in the United States. The information includes identification and location information, well descriptions, dates, rock properties, physical properties of the water, inorganic chemistry, organic chemist
- Overview
The primary objective of this project is to provide information on the volume, quality, impacts, and possible uses of water produced during generation and development of energy resources (particularly hydrocarbons) as well as related fluids injected into reservoirs for energy development and associated waste disposal. The purpose of this work is to address scientific and societal questions regarding the linkage between energy development and water resources, and the characteristics and effects of aqueous fluids in hydrocarbon systems.
- Science
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Geophysical mapping of produced water in near-surface environments
This task within the Oil and Gas Waters Project focuses on the development of oil and gas resources results in substantial volumes of produced water. Particularly when produced from deep geologic formations, these waters can exhibit elevated salinity in comparison to shallow groundwater at the same location. Knowing the spatial and temporal occurrence of high salinity produced water in groundwater...Quantities of water associated with oil and gas development
Work in this task of the Oil and Gas Waters Project focuses on quantifying the water used during hydrocarbon development and the water produced along with oil and gas. Hydraulic fracturing is an integral part of oil and gas development in many areas, and water use for this purpose has increased considerably in the last decade. Water produced from petroleum reservoirs includes hydraulic fracturing...Hydraulic Fracturing
Hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as fracking, is the process of injecting water, sand, and/or chemicals into a well to break up underground bedrock to free up oil or gas reserves. The USGS monitors the environmental impact of this practice across the country, from potential earthquakes to degraded groundwater quality.Characterization and Reuse of Oil and Gas Waters
In the “Characterization and Reuse of Oil and Gas Waters” task of the Oil and Gas Waters Project, we collect new water samples from conventional and hydraulically fractured unconventional plays in high priority oil and gas basins. Use the geochemistry of water produced along with oil and gas (a) as a tool to interpret deep basin fluid flow and to fingerprint brines from specific reservoirs, (b) to... - Data
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
U.S. Geological Survey National Produced Waters Geochemical Database v2.3
During hydrocarbon production, water is typically co-produced from the geologic formations producing oil and gas. Understanding the composition of these produced waters is important to help investigate the regional hydrogeology, the source of the water, the efficacy of water treatment and disposal plans, potential economic benefits of mineral commodities in the fluids, and the safety of potentialAbsorbance and Fluorescence Excitation-Emission Matrix Data for Produced Waters from Oil and Gas Producing Basins in the United States
Waters co-produced during petroleum extraction are normally considered wastes but are also possible resources, especially in water-stressed regions. Produced waters can be chemically complex. High salinity, naturally occurring radioactive materials, and organic substances derived from the producing formation can complicate treatment processes. Rapid screening methods to characterize produced waterMicrobiology of the Utica Shale
In order to determine the innate microbial community of shale gas reservoirs and how they are impacted by hydraulic fracturing, this study analyzed biomass collected from produced water and rock from hydraulically fractured wells in the Utica Shale. The samples include rock chips from a drill core from one Utica well, produced water from that same Utica well, and produced water from 12 different UGeochemistry of Utica Shale Play and other Appalachian produced waters
Citation Note: These data were collected as part of a research study published in Environmental Science and Technology. Please reference the following paper when citing these data. Blondes, M.S., Shelton, J.L., Engle, M.A., Trembly, J.P., Doolan, C.A., Jubb, A.M., Chenault, J.M., Rowan, E.L., Haefner, R.J., and Mailot, B.E., 2020, Utica Shale Play Oil and Gas Brines: Geochemistry and Factors InflLow biomass microbiology samples collected from a hydraulically fractured well producing from the Niobrara Shale in Colorado
Low biomass waters provide a unique challenge in the field of microbial ecology. It is difficult to determine, when biomass concentrations are extremely low, whether or not the sequencing data received are of good quality and representative of the waters sampled. Fifty-nine samples including 8 blanks were collected from a low biomass hydraulically fractured well producing from the Niobrara Shale iDirect Trace Element Determination in Oil and Gas Produced Waters with Inductively Coupled Plasma - Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES): Advantages of High Salinity Tolerance (2019)
Waters co-produced during petroleum extraction are the largest waste stream from oil and gas development. Reuse or disposal of these waters is difficult due both to their high salinities, which can greatly exceed 35 g/L (seawater equivalent), and also the sheer volume of wastewater generated, which is estimated at nearly 900 billion gallons per year across the United States. Beyond disposal concerOrganic Analysis of Oilfield Wastewater from the Williston Basin, North Dakota
The organic composition of produced waters (flowback and formation waters) from the Bakken Formation and the Three Forks Formation in the Williston Basin, North Dakota were examined in this study in order to aid in the remediation of surface contamination due to spills during transport and help develop treatment methods for recycling. Twelve produced water samples were collected from wells in theInput forms for 2016 water and proppant assessment of the Bakken and Three Forks Formations, Williston Basin, USA
The input form provides a record of the complete input values required for the quantitative assessment of water and proppant associated with oil and gas production for the continuous oil and gas resource in a geologically defined Assessment Unit, and the same form template is used for all such assessments. Each USGS water and proppant assessment builds from a USGS petroleum assessment that provideAirborne electromagnetic and magnetic survey data, East Poplar Oil Field and surrounding area, October 2014, Fort Peck Indian Reservation, Montana
Airborne electromagnetic (AEM) and magnetic survey data were collected during October 2014 in a 553-square-kilometer area that includes the East Poplar oil field on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in northeastern Montana, USA. Data surround the town of Poplar and extend south into the Missouri River floodplain. Data were acquired with the SkyTEM301 transient electromagnetic helicopter-borne sys - Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 26Dissolved organic matter within oil and gas associated wastewaters from U.S. unconventional petroleum plays: Comparisons and consequences for disposal and reuse
Wastewater generated during petroleum extraction (produced water) may contain high concentrations of dissolved organics due to their intimate association with organic-rich source rocks, expelled petroleum, and organic additives to fluids used for hydraulic fracturing of unconventional (e.g., shale) reservoirs. Dissolved organic matter (DOM) within produced water represents a challenge for treatmenAuthorsBonnie McDevitt, Aaron M. Jubb, Matthew S. Varonka, Madalyn S. Blondes, Mark A Engle, Tanya J. Gallegos, Jenna L. SheltonMachine learning can assign geologic basin to produced water samples using major ion geochemistry
Understanding the geochemistry of waters produced during petroleum extraction is essential to informing the best treatment and reuse options, which can potentially be optimized for a given geologic basin. Here, we used the US Geological Survey’s National Produced Waters Geochemical Database (PWGD) to determine if major ion chemistry could be used to classify accurately a produced water sample to aAuthorsJenna L. Shelton, Aaron M. Jubb, Samuel Saxe, Emil D. Attanasi, Alexei Milkov, Mark A Engle, Philip A. Freeman, Christopher Shaffer, Madalyn S. BlondesInsights on geochemical, isotopic, and volumetric compositions of produced water from hydraulically fractured Williston Basin oil wells
Tracing produced water origins from wells hydraulically fractured with freshwater-based fluids is sometimes predicated on assumptions that (1) each geological formation contains compositionally unique brine and (2) produced water from recently hydraulically fractured wells resembles fresher meteoric water more so than produced water from older wells. These assumptions are not valid in Williston Ba
AuthorsTanya J. Gallegos, Colin A. Doolan, Rodney R. Caldwell, Mark A Engle, Matthew S. Varonka, Justin E. Birdwell, Glenn D. Jolly, Tyler B. Coplen, Thomas A. OliverByUtica shale play oil and gas brines: Geochemistry and factors influencing wastewater management
The Utica and Marcellus Shale Plays in the Appalachian Basin are the fourth and first largest natural gas producing plays in the United States, respectively. Hydrocarbon production generates large volumes of brine (“produced water”) that must be disposed of, treated, or reused. Though Marcellus brines have been studied extensively, there are few studies from the Utica Shale Play. This study presen
AuthorsMadalyn S. Blondes, Jenna L. Shelton, Mark A Engle, Jason Trembly, Colin A. Doolan, Aaron M. Jubb, Jessica Chenault, Elisabeth L. Rowan, Ralph Haefner, Brian E. MailotRepetitive sampling and control threshold improve 16S rRNA results from produced waters associated with hydraulically fractured shales
Sequencing microbial DNA from deep subsurface environments is complicated by a number of issues ranging from contamination to non-reproducible results. Many samples obtained from these environments - which are of great interest due to the potential to stimulate microbial methane generation - contain low biomass. Therefore, samples from these environments are difficult to study as sequencing resultAuthorsJenna L. Shelton, Elliott Barnhart, Leslie F. Ruppert, Aaron M. Jubb, Madalyn S. Blondes, Christina A. DeVeraCompositional analysis of formation water geochemistry and microbiology of commercial and carbon dioxide-rich wells in the southwestern United States
Studies of naturally occurring subsurface carbon dioxide (CO2) accumulations can provide useful information for potential CO2 injection projects; however, the microbial communities and formation water geochemistry of most reservoirs are understudied. Formation water and microbial biomass were sampled at four CO2-rich reservoir sites: two within Bravo Dome, a commercial CO2 field in New Mexico; oneAuthorsJenna L. Shelton, Robert S. Andrews, Denise M. Akob, Christina A. DeVera, Adam C. Mumford, Mark Engle, Michelle R. Plampin, Sean T. BrennanOrganic compounds in produced waters from the Bakken Formation and Three Forks Formation in the Williston Basin, North Dakota
The organic composition of produced waters (flowback and formation waters) from the middle member of the Bakken Formation and the Three Forks Formation in the Williston Basin, North Dakota were examined to aid in the remediation of surface contamination and help develop treatment methods for produced-water recycling. Twelve produced water samples were collected from the Bakken and Three Forks FormAuthorsMatthew S. Varonka, Tanya Gallegos, Anne L. Bates, Colin A. Doolan, William H. OremDirect trace element determination in oil and gas produced waters with inductively coupled plasma - Optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES): Advantages of high salinity tolerance
Waters co-produced during petroleum extraction are the largest waste stream from oil and gas development. Reuse or disposal of these waters is difficult due to their high salinities and the sheer volumes generated. Produced waters may also contain valuable mineral commodities. While an understanding of produced water trace element composition is required for evaluating the associated resource andAuthorsAaron M. Jubb, Mark Engle, Jessica Chenault, Madalyn Blondes, Cloelle G. Danforth, Colin Doolan, Tanya Gallegos, Dan Mueller, Jenna SheltonAccuracy of methods for reporting inorganic element concentrations and radioactivity in oil and gas wastewaters from the Appalachian Basin, U.S. based on an inter-laboratory comparison.
Accurate and precise analyses of oil and gas (O&G) wastewaters and solids (e.g., sediments and sludge) are important for the regulatory monitoring of O&G development and tracing potential O&G contamination in the environment. In this study, 15 laboratories participated in an inter-laboratory comparison on the chemical characterization of three O&G wastewaters from the Appalachian Basin and four soAuthorsTravis L. Tasker, William D Burgos, Moses A Ajemigbitse, Nancy E. Lauer, Alen V Gusa, Maksat Kuatbek, Dustin May, Joshua D. Landis, Daniel S. Alessi, Amanda M Johnsen, James M Kaste, Kurt Headrick, Franziska DH Wilke, Mark McNeal, Mark A. Engle, Aaron M. Jubb, Radisav Vidic, Avner Vengosh, Nathaniel R. WarnerMapping protected groundwater adjacent to oil and gas fields, San Joaquin Valley, California
Airborne electromagnetic (AEM) surveys are a major component of a regional study of groundwater quality adjacent to oil and gas fields in the San Joaquin Valley of California, USA. AEM resistivity models are being used to delineate groundwater salinity in an effort to locate groundwater adjacent to oil and gas fields that could have future beneficial use. AEM models are also being used to improveAuthorsLyndsay B. Ball, Janice M. Gillespie, Burke Minsley, Tracy Davis, Matthew K. LandonMonitoring brine contamination using time-lapse airborne electromagnetic surveys, East Poplar Oil Field, Montana
Integrated geophysical and water-quality studies have been used to delineate areas of saline groundwater in shallow unconfined aquifers underlying the East Poplar oil field in northeastern Montana. In 2004, a RESOLVE survey was conducted over the oil field to identify high conductivity areas potentially associated with brine contamination and to map the shale unit comprising the base of aquifer. IAuthorsLyndsay Ball, Maria Deszcz-Pan, Joanna Thamke, Bruce SmithThe isometric log-ratio (ilr)-ion plot: A proposed alternative to the Piper diagram
The Piper diagram has been a staple for the analysis of water chemistry data since its introduction in 1944. It was conceived to be a method for water classification, determination of potential water mixing between end-members, and to aid in the identification of chemical reactions controlling a sample set. This study uses the information gleaned over the years since the release of the Piper diagrAuthorsJenna L. Shelton, Mark A. Engle, Antonella Buccianti, Madalyn S. Blondes - Web Tools
U.S. Geological Survey National Produced Waters Geochemical Database Viewer
The U.S. Geological Survey National Produced Waters Geochemical Database v2.3 Viewer provides access to an updated compilation of geochemical and related information for water from oil and gas wells in the United States. The information includes identification and location information, well descriptions, dates, rock properties, physical properties of the water, inorganic chemistry, organic chemist