Detection of spills related to natural gas production

AbstractAcute spills related to natural gas production are rare but pose a threat to water resources. This work evaluated the use of an event detection system (EDS) to identify spills related to Marcellus Shale development. An EDS was applied to water quality data from natural channels impacted by three known and one simulated spill of various oil and gas byproducts (spill volumes: 7.9–23.8 m3). Events were detected in the week following the spills for two of the known spills, but false alarms reduced confidence in detection. Events detected for the third spill were attributed to sensor malfunction. The simulated spill was not detected. Results highlight the difficulty in identifying acute events and support the need for the development of monitoring strategies.Practitioner points Event detection systems were utilized to identify spills related to natural gas production. Spills of production fluid, drilling mud, and flowback fluid were considered. Spills were not detected using the event detection system, supporting the need for the development of monitoring strategies.