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EPA's Study of Hydraulic Fracturing and Its Potential Impact on Drinking Water Resources
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Quality Assurance & Integrity

Related Information
  • Main page on this study
  • Questions and answers about the study
  • Case study locations for the study
  • Main hydraulic fracturing page

EPA’s study conforms with the Agency’s Scientific Integrity Policy and EPA’s Quality Assurance Program for environmental data.

Quality Management Plan for the Hydraulic Fracturing Study

A Quality Management Plan (QMP) documents how an organization will plan, implement, and assess the effectiveness of its quality assurance and quality control operations. Specifically, it describes how an organization structures its quality system, the quality policies and procedures, areas of application, and roles, responsibilities, and authorities. The elements of a quality system are documented in a Quality Management Plan. Both EPA organizations and organizations performing data collection activities funded by EPA are required to document their quality systems. The Quality Management Plan may be viewed as the "umbrella" document under which individual projects are conducted. Project-specific details of individual projects of the organization or program are documented in a Quality Assurance Project Plan (see QAPPs).

Given the importance and organizational complexity of the Hydraulic Fracturing Study (i.e., a number of EPA and non-EPA organizations are participating), EPA developed a QMP specifically for the Hydraulic Fracturing Study. While the Hydraulic Fracturing Study QMP was being prepared and approved, for any ongoing project, the lab or center with the lead for conducting that project applied their existing QMP, and the project progressed under an approved QAPP.

  • Hydraulic Fracturing Study QMP

Quality Assurance Project Plans for the Hydraulic Fracturing Study

A quality assurance project plan (QAPP) describes procedures that ensure that only valid data are generated and used in our study. QAPPs are internal scientifically deliberative documents that describe the methods and quality assurance protocols used in our study. They are internal planning documents prepared, reviewed, and approved by agency technical and quality assurance experts. A QAPP may be updated throughout a project to document changes needed to the initial approach based on results obtained or observations made during the study. Current QAPPs for EPA's hydraulic fracturing study are posted below.

Analysis of Existing Data

Literature Review

  • QAPP for Data and Literature Evaluation for the EPA's Study of the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing (HF) on Drinking Water Resources (ERG)
  • Supplemental Programmatic QAPP For Work Assignment 5-83 Technical Support for the Hydraulic Fracturing Drinking Water Assessment

Spills Database Analysis

  • QAPP for Hydraulic Fracturing (HF) Surface Spills Data Analysis

Service Company Analysis

  • QAPP for the Evaluation of Information on Hydraulic Fracturing (ERG)
  • QAPP for Analysis of Data Received from Nine Hydraulic Fracturing (HF) Service Companies

Well File Review

  • QAPP for Hydraulic Fracturing (WESTAT)
  • National Hydraulic Fracturing Study Evaluation of Existing Production Well File Contents: QAPP
    • National Hydraulic Fracturing Study Evaluation of Existing Production Well File Contents: QAPP - Amendment #1
  • Supplemental Programmatic QAPP for Work Assignment 4-58: National Hydraulic Fracturing Study  Evaluation of Existing Production Well File Contents (Cadmus)

FracFocus Analysis

  • Supplemental Programmatic QAPP For Work Assignment 5-58, Including Amendment 1 Well File Review in Support of Study of Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing on Drinking Water Resources, Part 3 (Cadmus)

Scenario Evaluations

Subsurface Migration Modeling

  • QAPP for Analysis of Environmental Hazards Relating to Hydrofracturing

Surface Water Modeling

  • QAPP for Surface Water Transport of Hydraulic Fracturing-Derived Waste Water (GWERD)

Water Availability Modeling

  • QAPP for Data Collection/Mining for Hydraulic Fracturing Case Studies (GWERD)
  • QAPP for Modeling the Impact of Hydraulic Fracturing (HF) on Water Resources Based on Water Acquisition Scenarios (Cadmus)
  • QAPP for Modeling the Impact of Hydraulic Fracturing on Drinking Water Resources Based on Water Acquisition Scenarios: Phase 2

Laboratory Studies

Source Apportionment Studies

  • QAPP for Hydraulic Fracturing Waste Water Source Apportionment Study

Wastewater Treatability Studies

  • QAPP for Assessment of the Fate of Contaminants in Hydraulic Fracturing Wastewater Treatment Process and Characterization of Wastewater Residuals
  • QAPP for Fate, Transport, and Characterization of Contaminants in Hydraulic Fracturing Water in Wastewater Treatment Processes

Br-DBP Precursor Studies

  • QAPP for Formation of Disinfection By-Products from Hydraulic Fracturing Constituents

Analytical Method Development

  • QAPP for the Chemical Characterization of Select Constituents Relevant to Hydraulic Fracturing
  • QAPP for Multi-Laboratory Verification of Diethylene Glycol, Triethylene Glycol, Tetraethylene Glycol, 2-Butoxyethanol and 2-Methoxyethanol in Ground and Surface Waters by Liquid Chromatography/Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Toxicity Assessment

Toxicity Assessment

  • QAPP for Toxicity Assessment for the EPA's Study of the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing on Drinking Water Resources
  • QAPP for Chemical Information Quality Review and Physicochemical Property Calculations for Hydraulic Fracturing Chemical Lists

Case Studies

Las Animas and Huerfano Counties, Colorado – Raton Basin

  • QAPP for Hydraulic Fracturing Retrospective Case Study, Raton Basin, CO (GWERD)

Dunn County, North Dakota – Bakken Shale

  • QAPP for Hydraulic Fracturing Retrospective Case Study, Bakken Shale, Killdeer and Dunn County, ND (GWERD)
  • QAPP for Numerical Simulation for Groundwater Flow and Contaminants Transport at the Hydraulic Fracturing Retrospective Case Study Site, Killdeer, North Dakota (GWERD)

Bradford Counties, Pennsylvania – Marcellus Shale

  • QAPP for Hydraulic Fracturing Retrospective Case Study, Bradford-Susquehanna Counties, PA (GWERD)

Washington County, Pennsylvania – Marcellus Shale

  • QAPP for Hydraulic Fracturing Retrospective Case Study, Marcellus Shale, Washington County, PA (GWERD)

Wise County, Texas – Barnett Shale

  • QAPP for Hydraulic Fracturing Retrospective Case Study, Wise, TX (GWERD)

Environmental Justice

  • QAPP for Environmental Justice in Hydraulic Fracturing Analysis
  • Hydraulic Fracturing Study Home
  • Final Assessment
  • EPA Published Research
  • Fact Sheets
  • Questions & Answers about the Final Assessment
  • EPA Hydraulic Fracturing - Agency Main Page
Contact Us to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem.
Last updated on February 24, 2022
United States Environmental Protection Agency

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