This study examined chloride concentration fluctuations over the last year in Furnace Brook stream in Onondaga County, New York. Water samples were collected from 16 points along the stream and analyzed for chloride concentration. The results showed substantially higher chloride levels than safe drinking water standards, indicating the chloride is leaching from the Marcellus Shale formation into the stream. Laboratory experiments confirmed the Marcellus Shale, known to once contain gas pockets, releases more chloride into water than other non-gas bearing shales. Further analysis of ions like nitrates and bromides in the stream is recommended to fully understand the relationship between shale gas content and water chemistry.

1. FURNACE BROOK STUDY
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS:
EMILY DANIELS, JEVAR CARTER, RYAN LAVIN
FACULTY DIRECTORS:
PROF. CALVIN PROTHRO, PG., PROF. DOUG HAGRMAN
FACULTY ASSISTANTS:
PROF. MELISSA HICKS, DR. JOSEPH KULA

2. FURNACE BROOK STUDY
AREA
• The section of Furnace brook that
passes through the OCC campus,
between State Route 175 (West Seneca
Turnpike) and State Route 173
(Onondaga Road
• 16 data collection points along
approx. 5,000 stream feet

3. OBJECTIVE
THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE THE FLUCTUATION IN CHLORIDE
CONCENTRATIONS OVER THE LAST YEAR IN FURNACE BROOK STREAM
(ONONDAGA COUNTY, NEW YORK STATE). IN ADDITION, USING BOTH FIELD AND
LABORATORY ANALYSIS, COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SURFACE WATER AND
GROUNDWATER WERE EXPLORED.

4. PROCEDURE
STREAM WATER FROM FURNACE BROOK WAS COLLECTED AND THE SAMPLES
ANALYZED USING A BECKMAN COULTER DU-520 GENERAL PURPOSE UV/VIS
SPECTROPHOTOMETER. THE STREAM MORPHOLOGY DATA WAS COLLECTED
USING A STANDARD ONE HUNDRED FOOT MEASURING TAPE, WOODEN
YARDSTICK, AND A FLO-MATE MODEL 2000 PORTABLE FLOW METER.
ADDITIONAL DATA WAS COLLECTED REGARDING THE STREAMBED MORPHOLOGY
BY MEASURING, SIZE, SHAPE, ORIENTATION, AND GEOLOGIC MAKEUP OF
STREAMBED MATERIALS. THIS WAS DONE ON THE STRETCH OF FURNACE BROOK
THAT PASSES THROUGH THE OCC CAMPUS, BETWEEN STATE ROUTE 175 (WEST
SENECA TURNPIKE) AND STATE ROUTE 173 (ONONDAGA ROAD

5. STREAM SAMPLE AND DATA COLLECTION

6. STREAM SAMPLE PREPARATIONS

7. BECKMAN COULTER DU-520
GENERAL PURPOSE UV/VIS
SPECTROPHOTOMETER

8. DATA ANALYSIS
OUR DRINKING WATER IS SAID TO BE SAFE CONTAINING 0.8 PPM OR MG/L OF
CHLORIDE LEVELS. THE WATER IN THIS STREAM CONTAINS SUBSTANTIALLY
GREATER LEVELS OF CHLORIDE. WE HAVE DETERMINED THAT THE HIGH LEVELS
OF CHLORIDE IN THE STREAM HAVE COME FROM THE MARCELLUS SHALE. THE
CHLORIDE INDICATES THAT THE SHALE HAS CONTAINED GAS POCKETS IN THE
PAST. WE KNOW NOW THAT THE SHALE THIS FAR UP IN NEW YORK STATE IS
ABOVE THE SURFACE AND HAS BEEN NATURALLY DEGASSED. THIS STUDY IS NOT
TO DETERMINE WEATHER THE WATER IN FURNACE BROOK IS SAFE TO DRINK, BUT
IT IS NOTABLE.

9. DATA
y = 0.0074x + 0.1951
R² = 0.9523
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0 20 40 60 80
Absorption Parts per Million (ppm)
Standards Cl¯
THESE STANDARDS WERE
DEVELOPED JULY 2ND, 2014 TO
ANALYZE THE WATER SAMPLES
COLLECTED ON THE FIRST OF
JULY OF 2014.

10. DATA
y = 0.0104x + 0.1469
R² = 0.9993
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Absorbtion ppm
Samples #2-6, 7/1/14
THIS TABLE INDICATES THE CHLORIDE
LEVELS OF FURNACE BROOK AT CERTAIN
LOCATIONS ALONG THE STREAM.
MAINLY THE FIRST HALF OF THE STREAM
STARTING AT SPOT #2 DOWNSTREAM BY
ROUTE 175.

11. ADDITIONAL DATA
THE MARCELLUS SHALE WAS CRUSHED WITH A MORIADRIN PASSEL AS WELL AS
ANOTHER NON GAS CONTAINING SHALE. EXACTLY TWO GRAMS OF THESE WERE
PLACED IN DISTILLED WATER AS WELL AS WATER CONTAINING HCL
(HYDROCHLORIC ACID) TO BRING THE PH OF THE DISTILLED WATER DOWN TO
THAT OF THE STUDIED STREAM, BEING 6.91.

12. OCC WELL FIELD SAMPLING

13. DATA
Sample Abs. ppm
H₂O + DI 0.427 26.92
MS/w DI 0.244 8.65
MS/w DI + A 0.465 30.77
S/w DI 0.167 1.92
S/w DI + A 0.146 0
Location 1 0.529 36.54
Location 4 0.385 23.08
Well B6 0.352 19.23
Well B3 0.455 29.81
WHERE:
DI, DISTILLED WATER
A, 6 MOLAR SOLUTION OF
HCL
MS, MARCELLUS SHALE
S, OTHER SHALE
THE MARCELLUS SHALE HAS A GREATER LEVEL OF
CHLORIDE IN IT THAN THE OTHER SHALE THAT
DOESN’T HAVE GAS DEPOSITS. THIS CONFIRMS OUR
ORIGINAL THESIS THAT THE MARCELLUS SHALE DID
HAVE GAS DEPOSITS.

14. 0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
H₂O + DI MS/w DI MS/w DI + A S/w DI S/w DI + A Location 1 Location 4 Well B6 Well B3
26.92
8.65
30.77
1.92
0
36.54
23.08
19.23
29.81
PPM
SAMPLES
Parts per Million of Chlorite

15. MAKING THIN SECTIONS OF MARCELLUS
SHALE

16. CONCLUSIONS
AFTER WE HAVE DETERMINED THAT THE CHLORIDE IN THE WATER IS IN FACT
LEACHING OUT OF THE SHALE ALONG THE STREAM OUR NEXT PROJECT IS TO
ANALYZE THE WATER FURTHER TO TEST NITRATE LEVELS MORE INTENSELY, THE
BROMIDE LEVELS TO FURTHER CONFIRM OUR ORIGINAL STATEMENT OF THE
MARCELLUS SHALE HAVING ONCE CONTAINING GAS POCKETS. WE ALSO WOULD
LIKE TO DETERMINE WHAT IS REALLY IN THE WATER. THERE IS A SECTION NEAR
ROUTE 175 WHERE ARE HEAVY AMOUNT OF IRON IS LEACHING OUT OF THE SOIL.
THIS CAN BE FORM THE SURROUNDING FARM FIELDS FROM FERTILIZER BUT IT
DOES SEEM TO BE THE RESULT OF A FUNGUS ON THE BANKS OF THE STREAM.

17. FURTHER STUDY
THIS STUDY IS TO DETERMINE IF TRACKING THE CHLORIDES IN THE WATER IS AN
EFFECTIVE WAY IN TRACKING THE FLOW OF GAS DOWN A STREAM TO DETERMINE
WHERE TO DRILL TO FIND NATURAL GAS.
TO FURTHER THIS STUDY IT’S RECOMMENDED THAT THE DREAM BE ANALYZED FOR
LEVELS OF IRON, NITRATES, AND BROMIDES. A DATA TABLE SHOULD BE
CONSTRUCTED TO SHOW THE CONCENTRATIONS OF THESE ELEMENTS IN THE STREAM
AT CERTAIN LOCATIONS, AND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THEM SHOULD BE
DETERMINED ( IF THERE IS ANY).
THIS STUDY CAN BE CONFIRMED BY DOING FURTHER STUDIES WITH SHALE THAT IS
KNOWN TO HAVE GAS DEPOSITS AND ONE THAT IS KNOWN TO NOT HAVE GAS
DEPOSITS AND COMPARE THE LEVEL OF CHLORIDES IN THOSE TWO SHALE AS A BASIS.