Water Quality Testing in and Oil and Gas Region

[hpinson]

Hi all. I'm new to this forum... good stuff here, and I hope to find some specific advice.

My wife and I are considering purchasing some rural property in the Lindrith area of New Mexico.  Lindrith sits on the eastern boundary of the San Juan Basin oil and gas region and there is a good deal of oil and gas development both existing and new in the area.

On the property is an existing well.  I would like to get a water quality analysis done on this water well, as there are two gas wells located within about one half mile of the property, one to the east and one to the west.

I have a few questions:

What compounds should I be looking for in a water quality test that might be related to oil and gas-related groundwater contamination?

Does anyone have specific recommendations for a lab in New Mexico that does this sort of water testing?

Does anyone have specific knowledge of groundwater contamination in the Lindrith, NM area?

Any insight would be appreaciated. Thanks!

-- Harlow

[MountainDon]

 

The NM Environment Division has just about anything you need to know about drinking water in NM. Have a look at their website...  http://www.nmenv.state.nm.us/dwb/index.htm   You can find a list of authorized labs there. Contact info including a toll free phone number is there too.

[glenn kangiser]

Even a smell and taste test could tell you something about it - like if it was really gross.

Around the oil fields everything is supposed to be kept sealed and protected so as not to damage the groundwater, however South of our old town Texaco pumped lots of contaminated saltwater back into a fresh water well ruining lots of good wells in the past.

You may want to scout around locally for information.

[Okie_Bob]

Hey Glenn, good to see you again!
Any wells drilled over the last 20 or so years have been monitored pretty closely and I'd be very surprised if you find any problems
at all.
Like Glenn said, the sniff and taste test would be my main concern. Get it tested by a good lab and if it doesn't smell and tastes ok, I'd say it is probably a good well.
One thing I would be concerned with more than oil or gas contamination is the depth of the well. I would not want any well that is less than a couple of hundred feet deep. Anything less is considered 'ground water' and as such can easily be contaminated with chemicals
leaching into it by lawn and garden fertilizers, used auto oil thrown out on the ground and that sort of thing. And ground water can come for miles away so just because your property is clean of any chemicals, doesn't mean they are not in your drinking water. That is why it's a good policy to have your water tested on a regular basis.
Okie Bob
PS: In my younger years I told my mom I was a piano player in a house of ill repute...I didn't want her to know I worked in the oil patch!

[JRR]

Every state has laboratories that can be used by the public.  Some engineering/technical schools have them.  Many local governments have them available.  Most provide special sample bottles and instructions for collecting and shipping water samples.  Here is one that you might investigate:
.
http://www.californialab.com/