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The Disposal of Water from Hydraulic Fracturing: A South African Perspective

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Regulating Water Security in Unconventional Oil and Gas

Part of the book series: Water Security in a New World ((WSEC))

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Abstract

Shale gas extraction poses significant risks to scarce groundwater resources in the semi-desert Central Karoo region of South Africa. Review of hastily-compiled Environmental Management Plans, prepared in support of exploration bids, has been scathing. A subsequent Strategic Environmental Assessment did little to assuage concerns about environmental harm or that a regime of regulatory governance, equal to the task, existed at all. In the face of the clear, evident and largely unpredictable challenges, the legal and regulatory tools and experience available for the development of shale gas extraction in South Africa are neophytic at best. There are no existing norms and standards that would transition comfortably into this environmentally-challenging arena. What is needed is a considerable body of further scientific investigation, possibly in parallel with closely controlled, open and transparent pilot-scale drilling and fracturing.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Between 2008 and 2010 a number of oil companies (Royal Dutch Shell, Falcon, Sasol and Bundu—90% owned by Australian company Challenger Energy- and Sungu Sungu Exploration and Development, a South African company) lodged applications for Technical Cooperation Permits with the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) under the Minerals and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA) and in 2010 Royal Dutch Shell, Falcon and Bundu applied for shale gas exploration licences in the Karoo under the MPRDA.

  2. 2.

    The USEPA has published a list of 1173 chemicals used in the SGD industry, of which 1076 are used in fracturing fluids and a further 134 detected in the flowback water (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2016).

  3. 3.

    Flowback and produced water encompass, respectively, the return of injected fluid and water produced from the formation to the surface, and subsequent transport for reuse, treatment, or disposal.

  4. 4.

    Extant South African water quality regulations do not incorporate any of the potential health-threatening additives used in fracturing fluids. Appropriate analytical skills do not exist outside of the existing corporate petroleum industry.

  5. 5.

    Here it should be noted that extant wastewater regulations do not provide an adequate measure of protection against eutrophication of surface waters.

  6. 6.

    The risk of pollution of groundwater resources is compounded by the extreme depths that SGD will require in the Karoo.

  7. 7.

    The SEA reports a range of between 10% and 80% (Hobbs et al. 2016).

  8. 8.

    This was in terms of a process that started in 2008 which required the amendments of several pieces of legislation, most importantly the NEMA and MPRDA. In essence sections dealing with environmental issues in the MPRDA were repealed and reinserted into the NEMA (Department of Environmental Affairs 2014).

  9. 9.

    A review of draft regulations found them to be deficient in a number of key aspects (Treasure Karoo Action Group 2015).

  10. 10.

    ‘Water resource’ is defined comprehensively in section 1 to include a watercourse, surface water, estuary or aquifer (South Africa 1998a: s1).

  11. 11.

    The author points out, however, that operating without a water use licence remains a criminal offence.

  12. 12.

    The water resource monitoring plan must specify, amongst other things, the sampling methodology, the monitoring points, parameters, frequency and reporting frequency.

  13. 13.

    SANS standards are developed by the South African Bureau of Standards.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Office of the Vice Chancellor and Faculty of Law, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

    Loretta Feris

  2. DH Environmental Consulting (Pty) Ltd, Somerset West, South Africa

    W. R. (Bill) Harding

Authors
  1. Loretta Feris
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  2. W. R. (Bill) Harding
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Correspondence to Loretta Feris .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Energy Studies, Baker Institute for Public Policy, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA, Lyndon B. Johnson School for Public Affairs, University of Texas, Austin, TX, USA

    Regina M. Buono

  2. ICATALIST, Madrid, Spain

    Elena López Gunn

  3. School of Law, Division of Business & Law, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia

    Jennifer McKay

  4. Department of Geography and Environmental Management, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK

    Chad Staddon

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Feris, L., Harding, W.R.(. (2020). The Disposal of Water from Hydraulic Fracturing: A South African Perspective. In: Buono, R., López Gunn, E., McKay, J., Staddon, C. (eds) Regulating Water Security in Unconventional Oil and Gas. Water Security in a New World. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-18342-4_17

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