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Sci Total Environ

Title:		A reconnaissance analysis of groundwater quality in the Eagle Ford shale region reveals two distinct bromide/chloride populations
Author(s):		Hildenbrand ZL; Carlton DD; Meik JM; Taylor JT; Fontenot BE; Walton JL; Henderson D; Thacker JB; Korlie S; Whyte CJ; Hudak PF; Schug KA;
Address:		"Affiliate of the Collaborative Laboratories for Environmental Analysis and Remediation, The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, United States; Inform Environmental, LLC, Dallas, TX 75206, United States. Electronic address: zac@informenv.com. Affiliate of the Collaborative Laboratories for Environmental Analysis and Remediation, The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, United States; Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, United States. Affiliate of the Collaborative Laboratories for Environmental Analysis and Remediation, The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, United States; Department of Biological Sciences, Tarleton State University, Stephenville, TX 76401, United States. Inform Environmental, LLC, Dallas, TX 75206, United States. Affiliate of the Collaborative Laboratories for Environmental Analysis and Remediation, The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, United States. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, United States. Division of Water, Climate, and Environment, School of Earth Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, United States; Division of Solid Earth Dynamics, School of Earth Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, United States. Department of Geography, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76203, United States. Affiliate of the Collaborative Laboratories for Environmental Analysis and Remediation, The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, United States; Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, United States. Electronic address: kschug@uta.edu"
Journal Title:		Sci Total Environ
Year:		2017
Volume:		20160916
Issue:
Page Number:		672 - 680
DOI:		10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.09.070
ISSN/ISBN:		1879-1026 (Electronic) 0048-9697 (Linking)
Abstract:		"The extraction of oil and natural gas from unconventional shale formations has prompted a series of investigations to examine the quality of the groundwater in the overlying aquifers. Here we present a reconnaissance analysis of groundwater quality in the Eagle Ford region of southern Texas. These data reveal two distinct sample populations that are differentiable by bromide/chloride ratios. Elevated levels of fluoride, nitrate, sulfate, various metal ions, and the detection of exotic volatile organic compounds highlight a high bromide group of samples, which is geographically clustered, while encompassing multiple hydrogeological strata. Samples with bromide/chloride ratios representative of connate water displayed elevated levels of total organic carbon, while revealing the detection of alcohols and chlorinated compounds. These findings suggest that groundwater quality in the Western Gulf Basin is, for the most part, controlled by a series of natural processes; however, there is also evidence of episodic contamination events potentially attributed to unconventional oil and gas development or other anthropogenic activities. Collectively, this characterization of natural groundwater constituents and exogenous compounds will guide targeted remediation efforts and provides insight for agricultural entities, industrial operators, and rural communities that rely on groundwater in southern Texas"
Keywords:		Eagle Ford Groundwater Shale energy extraction;
Notes:		"PubMed-not-MEDLINEHildenbrand, Zacariah L Carlton, Doug D Jr Meik, Jesse M Taylor, Josh T Fontenot, Brian E Walton, Jayme L Henderson, Drew Thacker, Jonathan B Korlie, Stephanie Whyte, Colin J Hudak, Paul F Schug, Kevin A eng Netherlands 2016/09/21 Sci Total Environ. 2017 Jan 1; 575:672-680. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.09.070. Epub 2016 Sep 16"