By Becky Harris thecabin.net Copyright 2011 The Cabin. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

The U.S. Geological Survey is asking for volunteers in the county’s Fayetteville Shale area to allow their active wells to be sampled to assess possible effects from natural gas production.

Justice of the Peace Randy Higgins from District 2 in the Greenbrier and the Horsehoe Mountain area is encouraging neighbors to sign up.

Those wishing their wells to be monitored may call Faulkner County Judge Preston Scroggin’s office at 450-4900 and leave a name, address and phone number.

“The process is non-invasive, and if there’s easy access to the well house, it shouldn’t take more than 10-15 minutes,” Higgins said. 

Residents do not have to be at home. The samplers will collect water in a fruit jar and a gallon bucket to test on the spot; other testing will be in USGS labs.

Initial results will determine if further testing is needed.

The USGS is hoping to test 50-100 wells in the area.

According to information distributed by the USGS, “Gas production in the Fayetteville Shale play has the potential to affect the subsurface and surface hydrologic system.

“Potential sources of impacts include fluids associated with the drilling operation and with the fracturing process used to enhance fracture permeability and gas yield.

“There is potential leakage from earthen pits used to store drilling mud and other process waters, leakage from pipes and other structures and losses by overflows, spills and other unintended releases.”

Sites with the highest chloride concentration will be revisited in phase two of the testing, said information from the USGS.

(Staff writer Becky Harris can be reached at becky.harris@thecabin.net and 505-1234.)