Pennsylvania has more than 27,000 known abandoned and orphan natural gas wells, according to Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary Jessica Shirley. These disused wells can pose health risks to nearby residents and negative environmental impacts to the surrounding areas, so the DEP has awarded a five-year, $2.4 million grant to a team led by Penn State researchers to better assess these potential impacts. Nathaniel Warner, associate professor of environmental engineering at Penn State, will head up the collaboration.
Warner and his team, including students and environmental contractors, will obtain air, groundwater and soil sample data around a subset of wells to identify and quantify chemical hazards people could be exposed to through inhalation, ingestion and skin contact.
The data collected through the study will help the DEP to plug wells that pose the biggest threats to human health and the environment. This effort may reduce exposure and associated health risks to individuals who may reside near orphan and abandoned wells, respectively defined as wells disused prior to 1985 and wells that have not been in operation for at least a year. The work continues DEP's commitment to protecting the environment and health of Pennsylvania residents, Shirley said.
"This study will enable us to make sure we're prioritizing plugging wells that will have the greatest positive impact on the environment and health of communities near these wells," Shirley said.
As part of the study, DEP and researchers at Penn State will also characterize wells according to emissions and risks, assess human exposure and develop recommendations for orphan and abandoned well priorities to refine DEP's current pre-plugging assessment tool.
"This project builds directly on our previous work at Penn State studying potential air and water quality impacts of natural gas wells and is an important next step to help protect the health of PA communities," Warner said.
The research team plans to integrate impacted communities into the decision-making process through public meetings that allow community members to voice relevant health concerns and identify wells of interest. Additionally, the team will host a publicly available data portal for community members to access results. Jennifer Baka, associate professor of geography at Penn State and a member of the DEP Environmental Justice Advisory Board, as well as Faith Kibuye, Penn State water extension specialist, will lead these efforts.
Additional collaborators affiliated with Penn State include Kenneth Davis, professor of meteorology and atmospheric science; and Jack Vanden Heuvel, professor of molecular toxicology. Additionally, Mary Kang, an associate professor of civil engineering at McGill University will assist with the project.
The funding for this study was provided via DEP's Phase 2 Formula Grant funds received from the U.S. Department of the Interior's Orphaned Wells Program Office under the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
