Researchers: “No Link” between Fracking And Methane in North Texas Groundwater

October 12, 2018

Researchers at the University of Texas say there’s “no link” between natural gas fracking and elevated levels of methane found in some North Texas water wells.

An August study in the journal Water Resources Research looked at groundwater sources across the Barnett Shale natural gas field in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Of the more than 450 water wells sampled in the area, researchers say the “vast majority” contained little or no methane. But a “cluster” of 11 wells near the line between Parker and Hood counties had much higher levels: more than 10 milligrams of methane per liter of water.

Houston Public Media, Sept. 25, 2018

Water & Wastes Digest, Oct. 4, 2018

Water Quality Products, Sept. 26, 2018

Featuring: Toti Larson,  Research Associate, Bureau of Economic Geology, Jackson School of Geosciences