A real-time system for monitoring water quality in the state’s oil and gas regions was unveiled Wednesday by Colorado State University researchers.
The system would enable state regulators, oil-gas operators and ordinary citizens to check water quality at monitored wells around the clock.
“This is the first of its kind,” said Ken Carlson, a professor of civil and environmental engineering who is leading the project. “Will this information be useful in making informed decisions about drilling?”
The Colorado Water Watch program was announced in Denver at CSU’s annual natural gas symposium.
Under a pilot, the automatic monitoring equipment will be installed in up to 10 water wells in the heavily drilled DJ Basin north of Denver.
The sensors continuously will measure seven parameters — the key ones being methane and total dissolved solids.
“We are really monitoring for changes in quality that could be due to any activity in the watershed, including oil and natural gas operations, agriculture, other industrial activity,” Carlson said.
Working from a pre-drilling baseline, the system is designed to show any anomalies.
The Colorado Department of Natural Resources, Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission and Noble Energy Inc. provided funding for the project.
The project also received a U.S. Department of Energy grant.
“The public debate about the impact of fracking and oil and natural gas development on water supplies has, at times, been divisive and contentious” state Department of Natural Resources chief Mike King said in a statement. “Part of that is due to the lack of independent data available to the public.”
In a presentation to the symposium, Carlson said that one of the keys to address the concerns of residents worried as oil and gas drilling moves closer to populated areas is better and more transparent data.
In place of state regulators gathering that data, Carlson said the role might be filled by universities or nonprofit organizations.
Mark Jaffe: 303-954-1912, mjaffe@denverpost.com or twitter.com/bymarkjaffe
