BY BRUCE E. STAUFFER AND ROGER A. BANNISTER
Marcellus Shale
The
GIS Technology Helps Map and Monitor a High-Profile Natural-Gas Play
concern about the potential for ground- and surface-water contamination. In response, state agencies have issued regulations governing the application and approval of natural-gas well permits, and GIS technology is automat- ing the production of well-permit maps. Energy companies are sampling ground- and surface-
T 14 GEO W ORLD / FEBRUAR Y 2O12
water supplies prior to drilling to document water quality, and they're using GIS to map sample locations and link test results. GIS tools are being used to model poten- tial water-impoundment locations and well-site setback restrictions.
he density and geographical extent of Marcellus Shale natural gas wells, and their proximity to popu- lation centers in the northeast, has raised public
Resource Extraction
