Transcript Water Testing Near Gas Drilling
WATER TESTING AND INTERPRETATION
WHY TEST YOUR WATER?
25% of private water supplies have never been tested, another 20% have only been tested by a water treatment company!
Many contaminants have no obvious symptoms in water Routine water testing gives you legal protection
Drinking Water Standards
“Acceptable” level of the pollutant in drinking water, enforced by DEP for public supplies Specific to intended water use
Primary
and
Secondary
Standards exist for drinking water Limits set by the U.S. EPA, enforced by the PA DEP – on public water systems only!
Primary = health based (MCL) – Total coliform bacteria = absent (<1/100 mL) – E. coli bacteria = absent (<1/100 mL) – Barium = < 2.0 mg/L Secondary = aesthetic (RMCL or SMCL) – Iron = 0.3 mg/L – pH = 6.5 to 8.5
Water Test Reports
“Parameter” or “Test” = what was tested “Result” = the concentration in your water sample “Unit(s)” milligram per liter (mg/L) for most pH unit Specific conductance (uS/cm or umhos/cm) Coliform bacteria = CFU/mL or colonies per 100 mL E. coli = MPN per 100 mL or “present/absent” Hardness = mg/L or gpg (gpg is about 17 mg/L) Quantitation Limit = lowest level they can measure Method, Analyst (or “By”), Date, Qualifiers are also included A “<“ sign in front of a numbers means “less than” the level they could detect
UNITS OF MEASURE
milligram per liter (mg/L) = parts per million (ppm) microgram per liter (µg/L) = parts per billion (ppb) Other Special Units Bacteria = colonies per 100 mL pH = pH units Hardness sometimes in grains per gallon Radon = pCi/L
How do I know what to test my water for?
General Recommendation Every Year
Coliform bacteria $20-$30 Sample in different seasons from year to year
Coliform and E. coli Bacteria
• Coliform are “indicator organisms” that occur from surface runoff, insects, etc.
50 40 • May cause flu-like symptoms 30 20 • Both should be zero in drinking water 10 0 • Often related to construction of water well or spring
Coliform E. coli
Every 3 Years Add A Couple Tests
1. pH • Secondary standard = 6.5 to 8.5
2. Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) • Sum of all ions dissolved in water (iron+nitrate+ hardness + etc.) • Both of these tests are good general tests, readily available and cheap • Should not see big changes in pH or TDS over the years 3. Add a third test targeted at local land uses
TARGET TESTING AT LOCAL LAND USE
Landfills Organics, ?
Houses Bacteria Nitrate Sediment Yard Chemicals Roads Chloride, Sodium Mining Metals, pH Industry Organics, Petroleum Agriculture Bacteria, Nitrate, Pesticides Gas Drilling Barium, chloride, TDS
Example - Nitrates
• Originates from fertilizers or from animal or human wastes • Highest levels in PA are found in southeastern and southcentral counties •Reported as either NO 3 or NO 3 -N •Primary drinking water standard is 10 mg/L as NO 3 -N or 45 mg/L as NO 3
Water Testing Near Gas Drilling
• Industry pre-drill testing - within 2,500 feet (many going further), cooperate, get identification of person collecting samples, must be done by a state accredited lab, free copy to homeowner, make sure to understand report • Chain of custody or “third party” testing • Critical for legal documentation of water (whether by industry or by homeowner) • Timeframe for testing • Pre-drilling - within months before drilling starts • Post drilling – presumed responsibility only lasts for 12 months • Continuous monitoring – simple meters
Testing Parameters
• Critical indicators • Total dissolved solids, pH, barium, chloride, iron, manganese, methane gas Cost ~$200 Protection Less • Excellent additions • Suspended sediment, hardness, sodium, total organic carbon, strontium, lead, arsenic, alkalinity, oil/grease, surfactants, coliform bacteria, sulfate, nitrate • Expensive additions • BTEX, volatile organic compounds (VOC), radium, radon, gross alpha $800+ More More Testing = More Protection
Use Symptoms to Target Testing
• White residue, water heater damage =
hardness
•
Mostly from calcium and magnesium
• •
No drinking water standard Soft = < 17 mg/L
• • •
Moderately hard = 17-60 mg/L Hard = 60-120 mg/L Very hard = >120 mg/L
• Reddish stains, metallic taste = • RMCL < 0.3 mg/L
iron
• Common in sandstone, shale or near mining • Black stains, metallic taste =
manganese
• Often occurs with iron • RMCL < 0.05 mg/L
Use Symptoms to Target Testing
• Rotten egg odor •
hydrogen sulfide gas Very common in wells in certain shale formations
•
No drinking water standard, nose is best testing method
• Slime residue, blocked water pipes, musty odor =
iron bacteria
• Harmless bacteria that feed on iron • No drinking water standard • Blue stains, metallic taste -
corrosive water
• Generally caused by low pH and soft water • RMCL = non-corrosive • May cause lead and/or copper if home has metal plumbing
What About Radon in Water?
• Naturally occurring radioactive gas released from water • Most wells in PA have significant amounts of dissolved radon gas •Proposed standard of 300 pCi/L (80% will fail this standard) •But, it takes 10,000 pCi/L in water to get just 1 pCi/L in air •So, best to test indoor air first, then test water if air concentration is high •Can be easily removed with carbon filtration
Where to Get Your Water Tested
• Certified state accredited labs • List from local DEP or Extension • Penn State Extension • County offices carry test kits • Regional DEP office • Generally only do bacteria testing Penn State Water Testing Lab
How Do You Take a Water Sample?
• Use a clean container from the certified laboratory • Follow lab instructions carefully • Be especially careful with bacteria sample collection • Keep samples cool for delivery to lab
Chain of Custody Water Testing
• Lab employee or independent consultant visits the home to collect the sample • Ensures proper sample collection and handling • Provides legally valid results • Slightly more expensive but critical if the objective is to legally document water quality • Water test becomes legal document • List of labs offering this service at http://extension.psu.edu/water
Water Test Reports
• Test reports are usually available within about two weeks • Receipt of pre-drilling (industry) results may be longer • Test report components (no two reports are the same!) • Letter - description of sample handling, comments • Water supply information (address, type, date, etc.) • Parameters tested • Units for each test parameter • Results for each parameter • Drinking water standards (if applicable) • Methods (EPA methodology used for analyses) • Quality Control and Assurance (results of QC analyses)
Common Water Test Report Comments and Qualifiers
• ND = not detected • “<“ = below a detection level • BD = below detection • “MRL” or “DL” = maximum reporting or detection limit • “Flags” = problems or comments about sample
A Penn State Water Test Report
Simple User friendly Less information
Benchmark Analytics Inc. - Example
• Simple • Result and unit combined • Flags and comments interspersed • MCL provided
• TestAmerica • More complex • Flag = comment about analysis • MRL = maximum reporting limit • No comparison to standards