High Capacity Wells and Groundwater Frac Sand What you need to know to get your permits
Dave Johnson Groundwater Section Bureau of Drinking Water and Groundwater
What do you need? • Decide how much water you need –Maximum capacity and daily average –Potable uses –NN System • NR 809 and NR 811
• Design code compliant wells –NR 812.12 • Submit application –Additional information • Follow conditions of the approval
High Capacity Wells • Wells, individually or collectively, that can pump > 100,000 gpd (70 gpm) from a single property • Used for irrigation, livestock, manufacturing, aquaculture, mining, beverage bottling, homes, and public water supply
Operational Considerations Know and Monitor Conditions • • • •
Inventory of Private Wells Water Quality Data Monitoring Water Table/Pumping Levels Pumpage reporting
Code issues • NR 812.9 – Approval for high capacity wells – Test well >6 inches need to notify – Pump test > 72 hours need approval • WPDES Discharge Permit
• NR 812.13 (16) – Wells within 1200 feet 1,200’ from trout stream, ORW, ERW) Non‐GPA waters – all streams, lakes, ponds Wetlands Springs 1 cfs Water loss > 2 million gallons/day Screening criteria determine potential for adverse impact and need for Environmental Assessment
• Use same assessment tools: – outside of GPA’s, – for other streams, lakes and wetlands – for springs with flow >0.25 cfs (within 2 miles)
Environmental Review in Practice • Impacts to Public utility wells – Avoid drawdown of 10 ft or greater
• Private wells – Screen for private wells within 1000 ft – Additional review if projected drawdown at private well is >5 ft
Typical Assessment Tools • • • • • • • • • •
Internal web viewer – Surface Water Features Jenkins‐Walton Stream Flow Depletion Spreadsheet Model Theis and Cooper‐Jacob Drawdown Models Wisconsin Stream Flow and Habitat Model Fishery Staff survey notes and discharge measurements Well Construction Reports – WGNHS Well Logs Available Geology/Hydrogeology Information Michigan table for allowable stream flow reduction Wisconsin Wetland Inventory, Natural Heritage Inventory Site visits w/ other DNR staff
T = 10,000 gpd/ft Rate 1,000gpm S = 12.8 feet
T = 50,000 gpd/ft Rate 1,000gpm S = 5.85 feet
T = 10,000 gpd/ft Rate 1,000gpm
T = 50,000 gpd/ft Rate 1,000gpm
BEDROCK SAND RESOURCES Cambrian Wonewoc Fm. Important producer and potential resource in west, not exposed elsewhere.
Cambrian Jordan Fm. Extensive potential in west, currently important source of fracsand from underground mines. Poor exposure in east.
Ordovician St. Peter Fm. Long production history and good potential in south and east. Channels can make prospecting a challenge in the northeast.
Western WI Aquifer System
Water Table Maps
http://dnr.wi.gov/wnrmag/html/stories/2007/feb07/ streamflow.htm
WCRs
Specific capacity = 5 gpm/ft, Transmissivity = 10,000 gpd/ft
Michigan stream flow reduction guidance (MI DEQ)
Springs Information • • • •
DNR field staff knowledge USGS topographic maps County projects Wis. Wildlife Federation Springs Inventory (WGNHS Open File Report 2007‐03) • Compilation of historic (1920s – 1970s) records and recent research on nearly 11,000 springs • Inventory and GIS database • Limited field verification
WWF Springs Inventory
Spring Recharge Areas
Additional Tools • WGNHS – WiscLITH – hydrogeologic data viewer
• • • •
Pumping tests GFLOW models ModFlow Models Water Table Maps
Approval Conditions • Must prevent significant adverse environmental impact – – – – – – – – –
Specify minimum distance to protected resource Maximum allowable daily water withdrawal Reduction in pumping at certain times of year Pumping schedule restrictions – e.g. every other day, monthly limits Reduce pumping from other wells on property Well construction details – deepen, casing into separate aquifer Monitoring of groundwater and surface water resources Pumpage Reporting – continuous with telemetric access Reopen approval based on future information
Groundwater Issues • Quantity
• Quality
• De‐watering
• Oxidation
– Lowering of watertable • Changes in flow field
– Fluctuating levels
• High Capacity Wells – NR 820 issues
– Arsenic and metals
• Blasting – Sand and rust flakes
• Spills – Little assimilative capacity
• Flocculants
Flow Related
• Radial flow toward the mine –Change flow direction draws contaminants in • Influence of pumping high capacity wells • Changes in recharge patterns
Flow Changes
Quarrying operations have penetrated two aquifers. Ground‐ water pumping has changed the hydraulic gradient in the vicinity of the quarry. The lower water levels could affect domestic wells in the immediate area. With ground‐water levels dropping, water is flowing from the Straight River into the upper aquifer; historically, the river gained water from the local groundwater system.
2011 Frac Sand Water Use Summary based on known industrial sand wells with a capacity > 100 kgpd, that actively pumped during year
Average Max Average Daily Average Approved Average Pump Pump Monthly Number of Daily Capacity Capacity Capacity PumpCapacity Wells (kGPD) (GPM) (GPD) (Gal) 17 838 704 1014 30,848,082
Average Average Percent of Capacity
January 3,771,486
16%
February 3,372,392
15%
March 4,381,943
17%
April 6,009,736
22%
May 7,208,060
25%
June 6,742,375
24%
July August September October November December Annual Total 5,967,283 6,699,679 6,881,979 5,191,077 4,030,296 64,526,054 7,465,233 25% 22% 23% 24% 19% 17% 19%
Groundwater Quality • Chemicals • Blasting – Turbidity – NO3
• Flow related
Water Quality Data • Groundwater Retrieval Network • County Studies • USGS/WGNHS/UWSP – Groundwater monitoring network – Groundwater studies
• Sampling programs
Metals ‐AMD • Sulfides – Tunnel City – Distinct bands in other formations
• pH Changes – 7.3 to 5.3 in less than 1 Month
• Examples of potential
Low pH • Mobilize metals Zn, Pb, Al • In SW systems DOC DOM can lead to colloidal transport • Silica decreases adsorption on metal oxides.
Causes of Lowered pH • AMD/ARD from Sulfide Minerals • Jarosite and weathering products • Site one pH 5.88 and 5.78 • Site two 5.65 then 7.18 • 18 samples – All but 1 over Al Standard Ave 6750 – Arsenic Ave 13.4 – Lead Ave 15.2 – Manganese Ave 321 – Vanadium Ave 35.8
Tomah Area • Original open to Tunnel City – pH – 4.6 ‐ 3 – Sulfate – 1478 ppm – Al – 22630 ppb – Ni – 1232 ppb – Fe – 39.2
Marcasite
LaCrosse • • • • • • •
Al 1600 Cd 2 Co 306 Cu 1610 Fe 53.6 Mn 142 Ni 409
LaCrosse • • • • • • • • •
Al 67300 As 92 Cr 220 Co 909 Fe 672 Mn 2980 Ni 1750 V 239 Zn 4460
La Crosse • • • • • • • •
Al 23200 ‐ 251 As 38 ‐ ND Co 501 ‐ ND Fe 376 – 1.2 Pb 47 ‐ ND Mn 987 ‐ 55 Ni 832 ‐ 8 pH 4.08 – 7.41
• • • • • • • •
Al 6770 - 6 As 25 - ND Co 306 - ND Fe 150 – 10 Pb 18 - ND Mn 531 - 181 Ni 493 - 8 pH 4.8 – ?
HIGH SULFIDE Cambrian Tunnel City. Issues in LaCrosse, Vernon and Monroe Counties
Cambrian Eau Claire Potential in Eau Claire, Jackson and Norhtern Counties
Ordovician St. Peter Fm. Issues more to the Southwestern and Northern Counties
Jarosite • KFe3+3(OH)6(SO4)2. • formed by the oxidation of sulfide minerals • Usually found as amber‐ yellow to brown crusts or coatings of minute crystals
Exploratory drilling • Must be properly filled and sealed – NR 812.26 or NR 141.25
• Must be drilled with a method that allows complete filling with approved material • Form 3300‐005 submitted to department within 30 days (NR 141 – 60 days)
Resources • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
USGS Groundwater monitoring network http://wi.water.usgs.gov/public/gw/HISTORICAL/historical.html USGS water quality data http://waterdata.usgs.gov/wi/nwis/qw Wisconsin Geologic and Natural History Survey publications http://www.uwex.edu/wgnhs/pubs.htm Wisconsin Geologic and Natural History Survey WCRs http://www.uwex.edu/wgnhs/well.htm DNR water quality data http://dnr.wi.gov/org/water/dwg/data.htm UWSP http://www.uwsp.edu/cnr‐ap/watershed/Pages/wellwaterviewer.aspx DNR well construction data http://prodmtex00.dnr.state.wi.us/pls/inter1/watr$.startup DATCP WCRs http://datcpgis.wi.gov/WellLogs/