Hazard Mitigation: Well Blowouts

From my previous posts, you may have realised that there seems to be a lot of potential negative impacts that can result from the fracking process. Many of these are not due to the fracking process itself per se but from human error; often associated with improper management and maintenence of boreholes and fracking wells. This is particularly prevalent for borehole blowouts. Although borehole blowouts are not well documented in popular scientific literature, they are becoming increasingly prevalent, with disasterous consequences for the local environment, ecosystem and residents in the vicinity of the well alike.

This video is short news article documenting one such well blowout in New Mexico, which resulted in the outpouring of 8,400 gallons of water, fracking fluid and oil. Constituents of fracking fluid, as previously mentioned, include many hazardous and carcinogenic chemicals; such as VOC's, benzene and toxic heavy metals to name but a few. See (http://fracfocus.org/chemical-use/what-chemicals-are-used) and (http://www.dangersoffracking.com/) for more information.

So, 'what is a well blowout?' I hear your cry....

Essentially, well blow outs are caused by elevated borehole pressures that result  from communiactions between neighbouring wells- fracking fluids pumped down the intended well end up spilling out at high pressures unintentionally from a neighbouring well. This results in the contamination of soil; furthermore, there is still an unresolved issue regarding the potential for groundwater contamination, when a well is intersected by fracking fluid .

The example from New Mexico was the result of interference between two wells, owned by different companies- the energy giant Encanna (http://www.encana.com/) and Parko Oil LCC (http://parcooilfieldandrentals.com/). In this case, the well owned by Encanna was being hydraulically fractured, but drastically the fracking fluid intersepted the Parko well situated half a mile away, resulting in the fracking fluid spill. Worringly, prior to this incident, 5 other cases of well communication were documented, but the energy company Encanna took no measures to ensure that it wouldn't happen again. Time and time again we are presented with the depressing fact that energy companies seem to simply not care about the impacts they have on the local environment. Even more worringly, the fedral land on which both of these wells are situated, should have been regulated by New Mexico Oil Conservation Division (NMOCD) (http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/OCD/) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) (http://www.blm.gov/nm/st/en.html). Many people, myself included, believe that the lack of action taken by the NMOCD and BLM is the real cause of this spill and ultimately it was preventable.

Current law states that energy companies do not have to identify, assess or monitor nearby wells which may be affected through hydraulic fracturing processes. Simply put, this is completly and utterly non-sensical.

The severe nature of borehole blowouts, and potential consequences have long been understood and documented, but little progress has been made to rectify the mistakes that are at the root of the problem. In the 1970's  the EPA ( http://www.epa.gov/) created the Underground Injection Control (UIC) progamme, which indentifed blowouts as a potential migration pathway that could lead to groundwater pollution ... the only problem? Fracking is exempt from the UIC. Once again, this seems to defy all reason and logic.

Thankfully, gas regulators in Alberta, Canada have finally taken steps to prevent the repeat occurence of blowouts and have recognised that well communication during fracture stimulation is a serious threat to groundwater supplies and local ecosystems. As a result, they have produced a set of mandatory requirements and restrictions to ensure blowout occurences are curbed. These guidelines are presented by the Alberta Energy Regulator (http://aer.ca/) in the following paper(www.eub.gov.ab.ca/documents/directives/Directive083.pdf). The Canadian company Enform, a gas and oil industry safety regulator, have produced a set of recommended practices to regulate borehole blowouts: (http://www.enform.ca/safety_resources/publications/PublicationDetails.aspx?a=29&type=irp).

Thanks to the Canadians, at least some advances are being made to mitigate the effects of borehole blowouts, but is this simply too little too late? Public confidence in the fracking industry is at an all time low, with many people calling for an overhaul of the laws and regulations that indentify fracking wells as 'safe'. With almost daily occurences of blowouts and spills, is it really any wonder?

                                                           Borehole blowout in Turkmenistan
URL: (https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTYMrEaedA81UsJQiNh0-r22fxMGZo2apDYIrwdz-si7k9oKUPJ)