Methane in well water from Lake Charles, Louisiana.

Abstract

The Chicot aquifer underlies all or parts of 13 parishes in Southwestern Louisiana. The uses of the aquifer include agricultural, industrial and provides nearly 100% of the potable water for the area. Southwestern Louisiana has a large natural gas industry and its associated distribution facilities. Agriculture is unique in this region in that there is extensive rice production and crawfish farming which results in large areas being seasonally flooded. Much of this coastal region consists of fresh and brackish marsh. Methane gas has been found in varying concentrations throughout the environment. Concentrations of 1.6 ppm in atmospheric samples were reported by Stauffer et al. (1985). Relatively high concentrations of dissolved methane have been reported to occur in natural ecosystems as a result of leakage of hydrocarbon deposits, and also from biogenic sources. In deep subsurface environments, such as groundwater, methanogenesis has also been reported. Often the presence of methane in these deep subsurface systems is due to waste leachate contamination. Methane can degas from groundwater and accumulate in wells or buildings thereby posing a potential explosion hazard. In addition, groundwater containing dissolved methane can serve as a primary energy source for the development of microbial communities. Gunsalus et al. (1962)more » reported substantial microbial growth at the air-water interface of a methane-supersaturated well system in which microbial oxidation of methane provided the necessary energy for microbial growth. Microbial growth within a well system could create taste and odor problems among other things that would directly affect water quality. 8 refs., 1 fig., 1 tab.« less