Water test shows Methane gas in well water

I just got back the test results from GES that was hired by CHK to test the wells that are within a 3000 ft radius of a planned well unit....my well unit is the Whitmer well that is on Garfield Rd in Mahoning county.  My test showed that I have methane gas in my well water. I am curious to see if anyone else has been told this and what do you do to correct this problem...

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Permalink Reply by Frank Nesmith on September 13, 2012 at 5:14am

What is the concentration of methane in your well? Virtually everyone has some amount of methane in their water. It has to get to certain levels for it to be harmful. I would recommend that you also get an independent study done to have on hand, in case it gets any worse.

Permalink Reply by mark o on September 13, 2012 at 5:20am

have your well vented..had same results..venting took care of it.....

Permalink Reply by JDM on September 13, 2012 at 5:34am

What did you do to vent it?

Permalink Reply by Lance Nimmo on September 13, 2012 at 5:48am

They told my sister, "cook with the windows open." Swear to god. Hers was before they even started drilling as well.

Permalink Reply by DDS on September 13, 2012 at 5:55am

Just curious who "they" are?

Permalink Reply by mark o on September 13, 2012 at 6:33am

i was told my well could explode if i did not get it vented...called company that dug well....dont know what they did but they fixed it and only cost about 120 bucks....

Permalink Reply by Kathleen on September 13, 2012 at 6:05am
Hi JDM,

When we got our results back they included paper work on how not to blow ourselves up. Lol. Half our packet is concerning this since we showed methane too, but not extreme, middles of the road. I knew we had it since its pretty obvious (whitish water seen when you a pour a glass of water but fades quickly is a big sign) and my husband marked it on the initial paper work they ask us to fill out. When Weston water came the testing girl was floored it was marked (me too, I told him not too) and had me cross it off, check NO to methane and initial. It can be seasonal or you can have it at all times. I was hoping for us it was seasonal and we were out of that season. Oh well.
I would think any decent well co. can advise you on how to rid this gas from building up and causing an explosion. Of course a simple well cap vent helps but I think there's other things you need to do if you have a big water holding tank or water system in your home.
I didn't drink my water before my results came back and now im glad I don't. Just wha the EPA allows is scary enough but lead, arsenic, etc.. turns me off completely. These items even showed up in one of our wells that is 8 1/2 years old. Age doesn't seem to matter.
0i7okn54zwbdoPermalink Reply by 0i7okn54zwbdo on September 13, 2012 at 3:52pm

Biogenic methane is present in quite a few water wells.  Like Mark O said, call the water well driller, they deal with this all the time.  I'm sure the green weenies will say that the methane was there simply by virtue of CHK thinking about fracing a well.

Permalink Reply by Jack Straw on September 13, 2012 at 5:38pm

And, if you are in the Coal Measures (any coal mining nearby?) it can be thermogenic methane.

A lot of funky stuff can show up in a water test in PA, OH, NY and WV.

Methane in the water can be one of the most benign constituents.

Arsenic and radon can be some of the least benign.

All of this "native"; no realationship to drilling, fracing, etc.

 

The amount of methane that shows up in a well test can vary with the weather (more when a low pressure front is passing through, less when a high pressure front is passing through).

The amount of methane that shows up in a well test can vary a little with with the lunar tidal cycles.

 

JS

Permalink Reply by owner on September 14, 2012 at 12:32am

Methane is located all throughout the ground, especially below the water table of any area.  It is not just located at the deeper depths that the gas companies are after.  Anerobic decomposition of matter results in the creation of methane.  A lot of water contamination occurs when people drill water wells for drinking water. 

 

Methane is odorless, colorless and explosive in the 5-15% concentration in normal oxygen concentrations (21%).  The best remedy is to vent the gas off.

Permalink Reply by ji on September 14, 2012 at 4:05am
The first thing you should do is call the ODNR District Office at 330-896-0616 and report the situation to them. Even though this is a pre-drill sample, there is likely existing oil and gas wells in your area that could be possible sources. There are many things that one would need to be know in order to determine a possible source of the methane.  A few of these things would be : 1) What is the concentration of methane and the other constituents like chloride, barium, sodium, etc. that were found in your sample. 2) Information on your water well like depth, casing, and the geologic formations  drilled thru . A drillers water well log would be ideal but may  be unavailable. There are water well logs on the ODNR water well log site (http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/water/maptechs/wellogs/app/) that may be helpful. 3) The geology of the area regarding coal and other natural methane bearing formations. 4) Any past or present agriculture, commercial or industrial man-made activities nearby. 5) history of methane in ground water in your area. 5) if there are nearby oil and gas wells, the well log and records for the well. 
These are some of the things needed to help identify and evaluate your situation. It is hard to say anything about the source or  hazard that exists without some of this info.  Don't relie only on one source of help. ODNR is good but can be a little complacent sometimes. The Mahoning County Health Dept is also a good source for help since they regulate private water wells. I can give you a good contact there. If you want I would be happy to help you get the information needed for your situation, just friend me on this site and we can exchange some info. 
Permalink Reply by Professor-JV on October 8, 2012 at 2:58am

We live right around the corner from you on St. Rt. 170 . Are you saying the Withers well pad ? This is what they are noting on all of my paper work. We also have a build up of methane in our well water test too. We just got our test back yesterday 10 / 7 / 2012 .  Is the Whitmer well a established well or a leasehold with a permit ? What did you do about this methane gas build up. I have no idea what to do or if I should even worry about it. We have been there for 12 years and never had a problem. 

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