This U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Data Release is focused on the geochemistry of wastewater (including flowback and produced water) samples, co-produced with natural gas, collected from the Marcellus Shale Energy and Environment Laboratory (MSEEL) site. MSEEL is a long-term field site and laboratory at the Northeast Natural Energy LLC (NNE) production facility, adjacent to the Monongahela River, located in western Monongalia County, West Virginia, USA. NNE began drilling two horizontal production wells, MIP (Morgantown Industrial Park) -5H and MIP-3H, in the Marcellus Shale in 2014. The wells were completed in December 2015. Large volumes of wastewater are generated with natural gas production. These wastewaters contain organic and inorganic chemical constituents from fracturing fluids used during drilling and stimulation of gas in host rocks/shale, as well as chemical compounds that are derived from formation water and the solid shale. Many of the organic and inorganic substances in the wastewater are potentially toxic and could pose an environmental risk if released due to spills, leaks, or unsafe disposal practices. Hydraulic fracturing fluid, field blanks, wastewater, and water from the Monongahela River stored in a lined holding pond adjacent to the MIP well pad, were collected from November 2015 through April 2019. The on-site storage tank was sampled from April 2017 through April 2019. Wastewater from the MIP-5H Separator Tank was collected daily at the beginning of the study to annually by the end of the study. One sample was collected from the MIP-3H Separator Tank in May 2018. This data release includes field measurements of temperature, specific conductance, total dissolved solids (TDS), and density; laboratory measurements of pH, non-volatile dissolved organic carbon (NVDOC), alkalinity, major ions, ammonia nitrogen, trace elements, low molecular weight organic acids (LMWOA), semi-volatile hydrocarbons, radium isotopes, and stable isotopes. There are seven files (*.xlsx and .csv) in this dataset: T1_DataDictionary, T2_RestonGeochemistry, T3_Mercury, T4_MenloGeochemistry, T5_pH_Buffers, T6_QAQC, and T7_Stable_Isotopes.

The Marcellus Shale Energy and Environment Laboratory (MSEEL) is part of the Northeast Natural Energy LLC (NNE) production facility on the Monongahela River in Monongalia County, West Virginia, USA. Natural gas extraction in the area creates large volumes of wastewater that may contain chemical compounds that pose risks to humans, animals, and the environment. The U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been studying the organic compounds in water produced from shale gas wells and in 2014, NNE started drilling two production wells in the Marcellus Shale. The well, MIP (Morgantown Industrial Park) -5H, was completed the following year. Samples were collected from this well. Large volumes of wastewater fluids were produced from this well and contain a mixture of chemicals added during hydraulic fracturing of the formation and chemical constituents from the host rocks. The original hydraulic fracturing fluids and the wastewater contain organic materials that could be toxic or pose risks to the environment if leaked, spilled, or improperly disposed of. This project was designed to collect comprehensive data from multiple sample types, including Monongahela River water, wastewater collected at the separator (during the flowback and produced-water phase), storage tank wastewater, and field blanks. Water samples for the analyses contained in this release were collected from July 2015 through December 2018. Samples of Monongahela River water were collected from a lined holding pond adjacent to the MIP well pad on November 5, 2015. Wastewater was intermittently sampled from the MIP-5H separator on the well pad from December 10, 2015, to December 6, 2018. The wastewater produced during the first two weeks of production was labeled as flowback water until December 23, 2015, then the wastewater produced after this date was defined as produced water. A storage tank at the well pad site was sampled on December 6, 2018. This data release contains non-target liquid chromatography/high-resolution mass spectrometry data.

The Marcellus Shale Energy and Environment Laboratory (MSEEL) is part of the Northeast Natural Energy LLC (NNE) production facility on the Monongahela River in Monongalia County, West Virginia, USA. Natural gas extraction in the area creates large volumes of wastewater that may contain chemical compounds that pose risks to humans, animals, and the environment. The U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been studying the organic compounds in water produced from shale gas wells and in 2014, NNE started drilling two production wells in the Marcellus Shale. The well, MIP (Morgantown Industrial Park) -5H, was completed the following year. Samples were collected from this well. Large volumes of wastewater fluids were produced from this well and contain a mixture of chemicals added during hydraulic fracturing of the formation and chemical constituents from the host rocks. The original hydraulic fracturing fluids and the wastewater contain organic materials that could be toxic or pose risks to the environment if leaked, spilled, or improperly disposed of. This project was designed to collect comprehensive data from multiple sample types, including Monongahela River water, wastewater collected at the separator (during the flowback and produced-water phase), storage tank wastewater, and field blanks. Water samples for the analyses contained in this release were collected from July 2015 through December 2018. Samples of Monongahela River water were collected from a lined holding pond adjacent to the MIP well pad on November 5, 2015. Wastewater was intermittently sampled from the MIP-5H separator on the well pad from December 10, 2015, to December 6, 2018. The wastewater produced during the first two weeks of production was labeled as flowback water until December 23, 2015, then the wastewater produced after this date was defined as produced water. A storage tank at the well pad site was sampled on December 6, 2018. This data release contains non-target liquid chromatography/high-resolution mass spectrometry data.

The Marcellus Shale Energy and Environment Laboratory (MSEEL) is part of the Northeast Natural Energy LLC (NNE) production facility on the Monongahela River in Monongalia County, West Virginia, USA. Natural gas extraction in the area creates large volumes of wastewater that may contain chemical compounds that pose risks to humans, animals, and the environment. The U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been studying the organic compounds in water produced from shale gas wells and in 2014, NNE started drilling two production wells in the Marcellus Shale. The well, MIP (Morgantown Industrial Park) -5H, was completed the following year. Samples were collected from this well. Large volumes of wastewater fluids were produced from this well and contain a mixture of chemicals added during hydraulic fracturing of the formation and chemical constituents from the host rocks. The original hydraulic fracturing fluids and the wastewater contain organic materials that could be toxic or pose risks to the environment if leaked, spilled, or improperly disposed of. This project was designed to collect comprehensive data from multiple sample types, including Monongahela River water, wastewater collected at the separator (during the flowback and produced-water phase), storage tank wastewater, and field blanks. Water samples for the analyses contained in this release were collected from July 2015 through December 2018. Samples of Monongahela River water were collected from a lined holding pond adjacent to the MIP well pad on November 5, 2015. Wastewater was intermittently sampled from the MIP-5H separator on the well pad from December 10, 2015, to December 6, 2018. The wastewater produced during the first two weeks of production was labeled as flowback water until December 23, 2015, then the wastewater produced after this date was defined as produced water. A storage tank at the well pad site was sampled on December 6, 2018. This data release contains non-target liquid chromatography/high-resolution mass spectrometry data.

This dataset contains measurements of dissolved hydrocarbons in from various water sources, as well as ancillary raw calibration data showing the stability of the gas chromatograph with an atomic emission detector and flame ionization detector (GC-AED-FID) analytical system over time. Across multiple studies, samples from tap water, groundwater, surface water, springs, mine outflows, and blank materials were analyzed using this system over a period from 2014 to 2017, comprising 172 samples analyzed. In addition to water samples, 183 calibrations conducted over the same period of time are included to document the stability of the GC-AED-FID system over time. The target analytes in this study were: methane (CH4), ethane (C2H6), ethene (C2H4), ethyne (C2H2), propane (C3H8), propene (C3H6), i-butane (C4H10), n-butane (C4H10), 1-butene (C4H8), propyne (C3H4), i-pentane (C5H12), n-pentane (C5H12), 2-methyl-pentane (C6H14), 3-methyl-pentane (C6H14), hexane (C6H14), and benzene (C6H6).

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.

The Marcellus Shale Energy and Environment Laboratory (MSEEL) is a long-term field site and laboratory at the Northeast Natural Energy LLC (NNE) production facility, adjacent to the Monongahela River, located in western Monongalia County, West Virginia, USA. NNE began drilling two horizontal production wells, MIP (Morgantown Industrial Park) -5H and MIP-3H, in the Marcellus Shale in 2014. The wells were completed in December 2015. Large volumes of wastewater are generated with natural gas production. These wastewaters contain organic and inorganic chemical constituents from fracturing fluids used during drilling and stimulation of gas in host rocks/shale, as well as chemical compounds that are derived from formation water and the solid shale. Many of the organic and inorganic substances in the wastewater are potentially toxic and could pose an environmental risk if released due to spills, leaks, or unsafe disposal practices. An on-site storage tank and a separator tank (MIP-5H), both containing produced wastewater, were sampled from 2015 through 2019. The storage tank received wastewater from multiple wells (not just MIP-5H). The data associated with the chemical conditions of these two tanks, at the time of sampling, have been previously published in a companion data release (https://doi.org/10.5066/P9Q3Y16S). The current data release reports on a sub-set of produced water samples co-collected from the above-mentioned storage and separator tanks during the 2016-2019 period, which were reserved for explicit experiments and analyses associated with detailed geochemical characterization of both the solid phase and dissolved fractions. The eleven machine readable data files (*.csv format) provided herein, and the description of the data contained in each, are described in the Entity and Attribute section (xml tag 'eainfo') of this metadata file.

The Marcellus Shale Energy and Environment Laboratory (MSEEL) is a long-term field site and laboratory at the Northeast Natural Energy LLC (NNE) production facility, adjacent to the Monongahela River, located in western Monongalia County, West Virginia, USA. NNE began drilling two horizontal production wells, MIP (Morgantown Industrial Park) -5H and MIP-3H, in the Marcellus Shale in 2014. The wells were completed in December 2015. Large volumes of wastewater are generated with natural gas production. These wastewaters contain organic and inorganic chemical constituents from fracturing fluids used during drilling and stimulation of gas in host rocks/shale, as well as chemical compounds that are derived from formation water and the solid shale. Many of the organic and inorganic substances in the wastewater are potentially toxic and could pose an environmental risk if released due to spills, leaks, or unsafe disposal practices. An on-site storage tank and a separator tank (MIP-5H), both containing produced wastewater, were sampled from 2015 through 2019. The storage tank received wastewater from multiple wells (not just MIP-5H). The data associated with the chemical conditions of these two tanks, at the time of sampling, have been previously published in a companion data release (https://doi.org/10.5066/P9Q3Y16S). The current data release reports on a sub-set of produced water samples co-collected from the above-mentioned storage and separator tanks during the 2016-2019 period, which were reserved for explicit experiments and analyses associated with detailed geochemical characterization of both the solid phase and dissolved fractions. The eleven machine readable data files (*.csv format) provided herein, and the description of the data contained in each, are described in the Entity and Attribute section (xml tag 'eainfo') of this metadata file.

The Marcellus Shale Energy and Environmental Laboratory (MSEEL) field site in Morgantown, WV was established by West Virginia University in order to increase understanding of factors that affect resource recovery and environmental impacts from unconventional oil and gas development. The site, which is located in the Morgantown Industrial Park (MIP) adjacent to the Monongahela River, includes one well pad which hosts four horizontal gas wells that target the Marcellus Shale approximately 7400 ft below ground level. As part of the MSEEL study, the MIP 5H well was drilled in 2015. Water samples were collected from the holding pond used to hydraulically fracture the MIP 5H well (API 47-061-01699), and a time series of produced water samples were collected from the MIP 5H separator tank starting in 2016 when the well was opened for flowback and ending in 2019. This data release includes semi-quantitative analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) identified in these water samples as well as a list of non-target compounds that were identified via gas chromatograph-mass spectrometry analysis and subsequent spectral matching against mass spectral libraries.