Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing on Surface and Groundwater Water Resources: Case Study from Louisiana
Publication: Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 147, Issue 10
Abstract
Hydraulic fracturing activities have been gaining more attention; therefore, a better understanding of the potential stress that fracturing may cause to freshwater resources is needed. The goal of this study is to assess the impact of current and projected future water demands for hydraulic fracturing on water resources in two main shale plays in the US state of Louisiana: the Haynesville shale and the Tuscaloosa Marine shale. The study analyzes historical and future projected fracturing scenarios that simulate different extraction rates over the two shale plays. In each fracturing scenario, stresses on both surface and groundwater are evaluated separately using the Water Supply Stress Index (WaSSI). Under all scenarios, the impact of fracturing water demands on surface water resources is within the low-stress category in most watersheds in both shale plays. In contrast, groundwater resources appear to be highly vulnerable under all fracturing scenarios. The results suggest that nongroundwater resources in Louisiana’s shale plays should be used for fracturing activities instead of groundwater whenever possible. The results provide a quantitative assessment of the current and future water stress due to fracturing and have important implications for regional water allocation and management policies.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request (water withdrawals, water supply, and hydraulic fracturing water use).
Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge the data sets and informational resources provided by Dr. Matthew Reonas from the Louisiana Office of Conservation. This work was partly supported by the Louisiana Sea Grant College Program as part of Program Project ID R/CRM–02 under NOAA Award NA18OAR4170098.
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Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 147 • Issue 10 • October 2021
Copyright
© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jul 21, 2020
Accepted: Apr 25, 2021
Published online: Aug 2, 2021
Published in print: Oct 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Jan 2, 2022
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