The extraction of unconventional oil and gas (UOG) resources often produces highly saline waste waters, which can be released to the river corridor environment during spills and pipe leakage. In North Dakota, USA more than 8,000 spills were recorded from 2008-2015, and more than half of those spills were related to pipelines. Data collected for this study were related to UOG wastewater leakage from a pipeline into a creek in the Williston Basin, North Dakota discovered on the January 6th, 2015. Although the spill was followed by extensive remediation efforts, we conducted geophysical surveys in June 2017 to assess the potential for waste water retention along the Blacktail Creek corridor as part of a larger evaluation of the post-spill period. This public data release is divided into (2) child items, one that contains and describes frequency domain electromagnetic induction (EMI) data, and another that contains electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) data. Both geophysical methods are highly sensitive to shallow saline groundwater.

The electrical conductivity of the earth is used to help infer lithological and pore fluid properties. Various geophysical methods can provide estimates of the distribution of below ground electrical conductivity, with each method having certain limitations. This data release presents raw and processed results from hand-caried frequency domain electromagnetic induction imaging (EMI) data collected from June 27-28 along Blacktail Creek near Williston, North Dakota. Data were primarily collected by walking in the creek or along the riparian zones with the GEM-2 instrument (Geophex, Ltd.) at approximately 0.5 m off the ground in horizontal coplanar (ski flat) mode.

The National Crude Oil Spill Fate and Natural Attenuation Research Site is located near Bemidji, MN, USA. A high-pressure oil pipeline ruptured in 1979 releasing ~1.7 million liters of light crude oil, which sprayed over an area of ~6500 square meters and collected in topographic depressions. Approximately 75% of the spilled oil was recovered. Much of the remainder reached the water table, where it is distributed into three residual oil bodies (the north, middle, and south oil pools). Groundwater flows east-northeast toward a small lake roughly 300 m downgradient from the original spill site. Secondary reactions of sediments with byproducts from anaerobic degradation of the oil plumes cause increases in total dissolved solids, which are transported in groundwater and raise the electrical conductivity of the groundwater above background levels, presenting a potential monitoring target for electrical geophysical methods. This data release contains electromagnetic induction (EMI), ground penetrating radar (GPR), electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), and specific conductance (SpC) data collected over and within the lake where it is believed high SpC groundwater associated with degradation of the oil plume is discharging. Direct measurements of lake sediment specific conductance and temperature, as well as pore water specific conductance, are also included. The current release (ver. 3.0) contains data from 2018, 2019, and 2021. Previous versions of this data release contained only data from 2018 (version 1.0), and data from 2018 and 2019 (version 2.0). The interested user can contact Neil Terry (nterry@usgs.gov) or the USGS Hydrogeophysics Branch to obtain a copy of the original release. A revision history is also included on this root page.

These data are derived from a point shapefile created nightly from data in the Utah Division of Water Rights Database. The source data were acquired on October 26, 2005.

These data are derived from a point shapefile created nightly from data in the Utah Division of Water Rights Database. The source data were acquired on October 26, 2005.

Near-surface geophysical data from within the Bonita Peak Mining District in Silverton, Colorado, USA are presented. These data were collected in 2019. The data include fiber optic distributed temperature sensing (FO-DTS) and frequency domain electromagnetic induction (FDEM) data collected in and around roughly 1 km reaches of Cement Creek and California Gulch. Additional data, including ground penetrating radar (GPR) and self potential (SP), were gathered from a peatland that intercepts acid mine drainage from Mogul Mine into Cement Creek. The peatland is located off the eastern bank of Cement Creek in the northern portion of the reach surveyed with FO-DTS and FDEM. In 2021, an FO-DTS, FDEM, and magnetometer (MAG) dataset were collected along both banks of an approximate 3-4 km reach of the Animas River, spanning from Arrastra Gulch upstream to USGS gage 09358000.

These metadata sets present the comprehensive geochemical composition of solid and water samples from the site of a 11.4ML (million liters) wastewater spill discovered in January, 2015. Analyses of a pipeline sample (analyses of select analytes), supplied by the North Dakota Department of Health are also included. The spill was near Blacktail Creek, north of Williston, ND. The leak was from a pipeline located approximately 70m from Blacktail Creek. The creek flows 17km before entering the Little Muddy River, a tributary to the Missouri River. The study included samples collected in waters upstream and downstream from Blacktail Creek in February and June 2015, June 2016, and June 2017. These data sets include field measurements of pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, sulfide and specific conductance; laboratory analyses of major ions, trace elements, alkalinity, ammonium, delta deuterium and delta oxygen-18 of water, strontium and radium isotopes; non-volatile dissolved organic carbon (NVDOC), low molecular weight organic acids (LMWOA), and hydrocarbons at surface-water sites. Geomorphic characteristics and watershed similarity tables are included. Sediments were collected in February and June 2015, June 2016, and June 2017 for analysis of carbon, nitrogen, radium and uranium isotopes and extractable ammonium, strontium, and barium. Duplicate water samples and field blanks were collected during each sampling campaign. Two groundwater seep sites were sampled in June 2017 for a select number of analytes. This data release includes twelve data tables provided in two zip folders both as Excel (*.xlxs) and machine readable 'comma-separated values' format (*.csv): 1) data dictionary; 2) descriptions of sampling site locations; 3) summary of field sampling procedures; 4) field measurements, NVDOC, ammonium, alkalinity, strontium isotopes, deuterium and oxygen-18 isotopes, LMWOA and hydrocarbons; 5) concentrations of major anions, cations and trace elements; 6) radiochemistry for sediment samples; 7) extractable ammonium, barium, and strontium concentrations from sediment samples; 8) measured and computed composition of water extracts and pore water concentrations; 9) carbon and nitrogen from sediments; 10) geomorphic characteristics; 11) watershed similarity analysis; and 12) Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC). This metadata publication’s citation will be added to “Geochemical Indicators of Oil and Gas Wastewater can Trace Potential Exposure Pathways Following Releases to Surface Waters”, Cozzarelli et al., USGS ScienceBase associated manuscript in review, summer of 2020.

These metadata sets present the comprehensive geochemical composition of solid and water samples from the site of a 11.4ML (million liters) wastewater spill discovered in January, 2015. Analyses of a pipeline sample (analyses of select analytes), supplied by the North Dakota Department of Health are also included. The spill was near Blacktail Creek, north of Williston, ND. The leak was from a pipeline located approximately 70m from Blacktail Creek. The creek flows 17km before entering the Little Muddy River, a tributary to the Missouri River. The study included samples collected in waters upstream and downstream from Blacktail Creek in February and June 2015, June 2016, and June 2017. These data sets include field measurements of pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, sulfide and specific conductance; laboratory analyses of major ions, trace elements, alkalinity, ammonium, delta deuterium and delta oxygen-18 of water, strontium and radium isotopes; non-volatile dissolved organic carbon (NVDOC), low molecular weight organic acids (LMWOA), and hydrocarbons at surface-water sites. Geomorphic characteristics and watershed similarity tables are included. Sediments were collected in February and June 2015, June 2016, and June 2017 for analysis of carbon, nitrogen, radium and uranium isotopes and extractable ammonium, strontium, and barium. Duplicate water samples and field blanks were collected during each sampling campaign. Two groundwater seep sites were sampled in June 2017 for a select number of analytes. This data release includes twelve data tables provided in two zip folders both as Excel (*.xlxs) and machine readable 'comma-separated values' format (*.csv): 1) data dictionary; 2) descriptions of sampling site locations; 3) summary of field sampling procedures; 4) field measurements, NVDOC, ammonium, alkalinity, strontium isotopes, deuterium and oxygen-18 isotopes, LMWOA and hydrocarbons; 5) concentrations of major anions, cations and trace elements; 6) radiochemistry for sediment samples; 7) extractable ammonium, barium, and strontium concentrations from sediment samples; 8) measured and computed composition of water extracts and pore water concentrations; 9) carbon and nitrogen from sediments; 10) geomorphic characteristics; 11) watershed similarity analysis; and 12) Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC). This metadata publication’s citation will be added to “Geochemical Indicators of Oil and Gas Wastewater can Trace Potential Exposure Pathways Following Releases to Surface Waters”, Cozzarelli et al., USGS ScienceBase associated manuscript in review, summer of 2020.

Quantification of mobile/less-mobile porosity dynamics at the sediment/water interface is critical to predicting contaminant storage, release, and transformation processes. Zones in groundwater flow-through lakes where lake water recharges the aquifer can strongly control aquifer water quality. Less-mobile porosity has previously been characterized in aquifers using flow path scale (10's of m+) tracer injections which are analyzed using numerical models. Methodology was recently developed to couple geoelectric measurements (bulk electrical conductivity, EC), which are directly sensitive to less-mobile ionic tracer exchange processes, with pumped fluid EC tracer data over time. If the fluid EC concentration history is assumed to reflect the more mobile porosity exchange processes, these paired fluid and bulk EC measurements can be used to quantify less-mobile porosity exchange in discrete cm-scale packets of sediment at the interface between surface and groundwater. For this study, tracer experiments were conducted in multiple rate-controlled downward flow experiments over several days. Although the bed was composed predominantly of highly permeable sands and gravels, which is not an intuitive sediment texture for less-mobile porosity, embedded cobbles created areas of less-mobile flow zones proximal to large cobbles. These experimental findings are described in detail in the associated publication: Briggs, M.A., Day-Lewis, F.D., Dehkordy, F.M.P., Hampton, T., Zarnetske, J.P., Singha, K., Harvey, J.W. and Lane, J.W.(2018), Direct observations of hydrologic exchange occurring with less-mobile porosity and the development of anoxic microzones in sandy lakebed sediments, Water Resources Research, DOI:10.1029/2018WR022823.

Quantification of mobile/less-mobile porosity dynamics at the sediment/water interface is critical to predicting contaminant storage, release, and transformation processes. Zones in groundwater flow-through lakes where lake water recharges the aquifer can strongly control aquifer water quality. Less-mobile porosity has previously been characterized in aquifers using flow path scale (10's of m+) tracer injections which are analyzed using numerical models. Methodology was recently developed to couple geoelectric measurements (bulk electrical conductivity, EC), which are directly sensitive to less-mobile ionic tracer exchange processes, with pumped fluid EC tracer data over time. If the fluid EC concentration history is assumed to reflect the more mobile porosity exchange processes, these paired fluid and bulk EC measurements can be used to quantify less-mobile porosity exchange in discrete cm-scale packets of sediment at the interface between surface and groundwater. For this study, tracer experiments were conducted in multiple rate-controlled downward flow experiments over several days. Although the bed was composed predominantly of highly permeable sands and gravels, which is not an intuitive sediment texture for less-mobile porosity, embedded cobbles created areas of less-mobile flow zones proximal to large cobbles. These experimental findings are described in detail in the associated publication: Briggs, M.A., Day-Lewis, F.D., Dehkordy, F.M.P., Hampton, T., Zarnetske, J.P., Singha, K., Harvey, J.W. and Lane, J.W.(2018), Direct observations of hydrologic exchange occurring with less-mobile porosity and the development of anoxic microzones in sandy lakebed sediments, Water Resources Research, DOI:10.1029/2018WR022823.