Geology News
Contamination Current Events

Exactly where the extra methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, is coming from in Los Angeles has finally been identified. [...] The research explains why the estimates of methane given off by various sources are 35 percent lower than the levels that have actually been measured in the atmosphere.

The National Ground Water Association has published an information guide for people who have private water supply wells located near oil and natural gas drilling. They explain the types of water quality concerns that might be present and explain the options of water well testing.

“Eight percent of more than 5,000 wells tested across Pennsylvania contain groundwater with levels of arsenic at or above federal standards set for public drinking water, while an additional 12 percent – though not exceeding standards – show elevated levels of arsenic.” Quoted from the USGS Newsroom.

USGS authors have authored a book chapter titled: “Occurrence and mobility of mercury in groundwater”.

“Scientists have linked a rising number of quakes in normally calm parts of Arkansas, Texas, Ohio and Colorado to below-ground injection. In the last four years, the number of quakes in the middle of the United States jumped 11-fold from the three decades prior.” Quoted from the Columbia University press release.

USGS authors have authored a book chapter titled: “Arsenic in groundwater: a summary of sources and the biogeochemical and hydrogeologic factors affecting arsenic occurrence and mobility”.

A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences reports that chemical spills associated with Marcellus Shale drilling have not significantly impacted Pennsylvania waterways.

“On January 10, NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this image of haze hugging the Himalayas and spilling out into the Ganges delta and Bengal Sea.The haze likely resulted from a combination of urban and industrial pollution, agricultural fires, and a regional meteorological phenomenon known as a temperature inversion.” Quoted from the NASA image release.

Colorado has become the first state to require drilling companies to do ground water testing before and after drilling a well.

USGS has published a report titled: Dissolved Methane in New York Groundwater. The study includes data collection to document the natural occurrence of methane in New York Aquifers.

EPA has an article on their website that explains how you can get a limited amount of drinking water in an emergency. Boiling, chemical treatment, filtering and other treatments are explained.

FirstEnergy plans to close the Little Blue Run disposal facility. It is the largest coal ash disposal pond in the United States, located on the Pennsylvania – West Virginia border.

You can use the Google map at right to view the facility. Click the “view larger map” link to get a full browser map.

EPA has tested drinking water from Dimock, Pennsylvania and reports that it is safe to drink. There has been a long dispute about contamination of Dimock area water by hydraulic fracturing.

“Every summer for the past several decades, a large dead zone has threatened the economic and ecological health of the Gulf of Mexico, the nation’s largest and most productive fishery.” Quoted from the USGS press release.

“The study design included assessment of a variety of agricultural practices, especially cropping patterns and irrigation, so that the factors that contribute to phosphorus movement to groundwater, or sequestration of the phosphorus to soil could be compared and examined. This type of information could potentially be used to formulate best management practices to limit the transport of phosphorus from the agricultural fields.” Quoted from the USGS press release.

Sustained, natural oil seepage from the seafloor is common off southern California, and is of great interest to resource managers, who are tasked with distinguishing natural from anthropogenic oil sources. The major purpose of this study was [...] enable differentiation of the highly similar Monterey Formation oils from Outer Continental Shelf production and adjacent natural seeps.

“A USGS study found that groundwater in aquifers on the East Coast and in the Central United States has the highest risk of contamination from radium. [...] Radium is naturally occurring, so human activity is not the sole source of the problem.” Quoted from the USGS press release.

“Drastic reductions in Arctic sea ice in the last decade may be intensifying the chemical release of bromine into the atmosphere, resulting in ground-level ozone depletion and the deposit of toxic mercury in the Arctic.”

Ozone produced in Asia is now being detected and mapped as it crosses the North American Continent.

“Hydraulic fracturing of shale formations to extract natural gas has no direct connection to reports of groundwater contamination [...] many problems ascribed to hydraulic fracturing are related to processes common to all oil and gas drilling operations, such as casing failures or poor cement jobs.” Quoted from the University of Texas at Austin press release.

“A recent USGS study found that groundwater in aquifers on the East Coast and in the Central United States has the highest risk of contamination from radium, a naturally occurring radioactive element and known carcinogen.” Quoted from the USGS press release.

“Since the establishment of the Acid Rain Program, of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments, there have been substantial reductions in sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides emissions from power plants that use fossil fuels, which are known to be the primary causes of acid rain. As of 2009, emissions of SO2 and NOx declined by about two-thirds relative to levels in the 1990s.” Quoted from the USGS press release.