Microbial communities reveal impacts of unconventional oil and gas development on headwater streams.

The demand for natural gas has led to the development of techniques used to access unconventional oil and natural gas (UOG) resources, due to the novelty of UOG, the potential impacts to freshwater ecosystems are not fully understood. We used a dual pronged approach to study the effects of UOG development on microbial biodiversity and function via a laboratory microcosm experiment and a survey study of streams with and without UOG development within their watersheds. The microcosm experiment simulated stream contamination with produced water, a byproduct of UOG operations, using sediment collected from one high water-quality stream and two low water-quality streams.

Toxicity of hydraulic fracturing wastewater from black shale natural-gas wells influenced by well maturity and chemical additives.

Hydraulic fracturing of deep shale formations generates large volumes of wastewater that must be managed through treatment, reuse, or disposal. Produced wastewater liberates formation-derived radionuclides and contains previously uncharacterized organohalides thought to be generated within the shale well, both posing unknown toxicity to human and ecological health. Here, we assess the toxicity of 42 input media and produced fluid samples collected from four wells in the Utica formation and Marcellus Shale using two distinct endpoint screening assays.

Bias in determining aluminum concentrations: Comparison of digestion methods and implications on Al management.

Aluminum is an important aquatic contaminant due to its ubiquity, toxicity and low regulatory discharge limits. Aluminum is mobilized in mining related, acidic drainage and is commonly a regulated pollutant. However, while aquatic toxicity studies and toxicity criteria are based on dissolved aluminum(Ald), discharge levels are, for statutory reasons, based on total recoverable aluminum (Alt).

Complex contaminant mixtures in multistressor Appalachian riverscapes.

Runoff from watersheds altered by mountaintop mining in the Appalachian region (USA) is known to pollute headwater streams, yet regional-scale assessments of water quality have focused on salinization and selenium. The authors conducted a comprehensive survey of inorganic contaminants found in 170 stream segments distributed across a spectrum of historic and contemporary human land use. Principal component analysis identified 3 important dimensions of variation in water chemistry that were significantly correlated with contemporary surface mining (principal component 1: elevated dominant ions, sulfate, alkalinity, and selenium), coal geology and legacy mines (principal component 2: elevated trace metals), and residential development (principal component 3: elevated sodium and chloride).

Evolution of water chemistry during Marcellus Shale gas development: A case study in West Virginia.

Hydraulic fracturing (HF) has been used with horizontal drilling to extract gas and natural gas liquids from source rock such as the Marcellus Shale in the Appalachian Basin. Horizontal drilling and HF generates large volumes of waste water known as flowback. While inorganic ion chemistry has been well characterized, and the general increase in concentration through the flowback is widely recognized, the literature contains little information relative to organic compounds and radionuclides.

Investigation of MCHM transport mechanisms and fate: implications for coal beneficiation.

4-Methyl cyclohexane methanol (MCHM) is a flotation reagent often used in fine coal beneficiation and notably involved in the January 9, 2014 Elk River chemical spill in Charleston, WV. This study investigates the mechanisms controlling the transport and fate of MCHM in coal beneficiation plants and surrounding environments. Processes such as volatilization, sorption, and leaching were evaluated through laboratory batch and column experiments.

Practical measures for reducing the risk of environmental contamination in shale energy production.

Gas recovery from shale formations has been made possible by advances in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technology. Rapid adoption of these methods has created a surge in natural gas production in the United States and increased public concern about its environmental and human health effects. We surveyed the environmental literature relevant to shale gas development and studied over fifteen well sites and impoundments in West Virginia to evaluate pollution caused by air emissions, light and noise during drilling.

Selenium Adsorption onto Iron Oxide Layers beneath Coal-Mine Overburden Spoil.

A field experimental study to determine the feasibility of sequestering dissolved selenium (Se) leached from coal-mine waste rock used an iron (Fe)-oxide amendment obtained from a mine-drainage treatment wetland. Thirty lysimeters (4.9 × 7.

Survival and growth of hardwoods in brown versus gray sandstone on a surface mine in West Virginia.

Surface mining in West Virginia removes the eastern deciduous forest and reclaiming the mined land to a productive forest must consider soil depth, soil physical and chemical properties, soil compaction, ground cover competition, and tree species selection. Our objective was to evaluate tree survival and growth in weathered brown sandstone and in unweathered gray sandstone. Brown and gray sandstone are often substituted when insufficient native topsoil is available for replacement.

Water chemistry-based classification of streams and implications for restoring mined Appalachian watersheds.

We analyzed seasonal water samples from the Cheat and Tygart Valley river basins, West Virginia, USA, in an attempt to classify streams based on water chemistry in this coal-mining region. We also examined temporal variability among water samples. Principal component analysis identified two important dimensions of variation in water chemistry.

Acid-base accounting to predict post-mining drainage quality on surface mines.

Acid-base accounting (ABA) is an analytical procedure that provides values to help assess the acid-producing and acid-neutralizing potential of overburden rocks prior to coal mining and other large-scale excavations. This procedure was developed by West Virginia University scientists during the 1960s. After the passage of laws requiring an assessment of surface mining on water quality, ABA became a preferred method to predict post-mining water quality, and permitting decisions for surface mines are largely based on the values determined by ABA.

Daminozide--lack of the genotoxic activity in the short-term bacterial tests.

Daminozide [ALAR] a plant growth regulator has been widely used on apples since the late 1960s. It has been identified as a possible carcinogen. Restrictions were ordered to reduce both application rates and allowable daminozide residue levels.

The effects of captan and captafol on different bacterial strains and on c-mitosis in V79 Chinese hamster fibroblasts.

The mutagenic activity of captan and captafol was tested using Ames strains and strains showing an SOS response. Captafol was mutagenic in S. typhimurium strain TA102 (uvr+) and captan in strain TA104 (uvrB).