Remediation of Natural Gas Contamination of Potable Groundwater

Richard Jackson, Dru Heagle, Glen Briscoe, Sean Sterling

In the proceedings of: GeoMontréal 2013: 66th Canadian Geotechnical Conference; 11th joint with IAH-CNC

Session: Mineral and Gas II

ABSTRACT: Invasion of shallow aquifers by natural gas seepage, in particular along the annulus of energy wells, has caused water wells to become unusable because methane has induced geochemical reactions degrading groundwater quality. While minor invasions of natural gas may be naturally remediated by available oxidants in the groundwater, such as sulphate, it will likely be necessary to inject oxidants into aquifers that have been invaded over a period of several years and may even have a gas cap in the case of a confined aquifer. We consider the remedial options available and the associated constraints.

RÉSUMÉ: Invasion des aquifères peu profonds par des infiltrations de gaz naturel, en particulier le long de l'anneau de puits d'énergie, a causé des puits d'eau pour devenir inutilisable parce que le méthane a provoqué des réactions géochimiques qualité des eaux souterraines dégradants. Alors invasions mineures de gaz peuvent être naturellement oxydé par les oxydants disponibles dans les eaux souterraines, tels que le sulfate, il sera probablement nécessaire d'injecter des oxydants dans les aquifères qui ont été envahis sur une période de plusieurs années et peut même avoir un chapeau de gaz dans le cas d'un aquifère. Nous considérons que les solutions correctives disponibles et les contraintes associées.

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Cite this article:
Richard Jackson; Dru Heagle; Glen Briscoe; Sean Sterling (2013) Remediation of Natural Gas Contamination of Potable Groundwater in GEO2013. Ottawa, Ontario: Canadian Geotechnical Society.

@article{GeoMon2013Paper251,author = Richard Jackson; Dru Heagle; Glen Briscoe; Sean Sterling,title = Remediation of Natural Gas Contamination of Potable Groundwater,year = 2013}