Evaluation of Statistical Methods for CCS-Related Groundwater Monitoring Programs Based on Illinois Basin – Decatur Project Monitoring [poster]

The Midwest Geological Sequestration Consortium is conducting the Illinois Basin – Decatur Project (IBDP), a large-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) project in Decatur, Illinois, USA. The IBDP study area (Figure 1) covers approximately 160 acres (0.65 km2 / 0.25 mi2). As a part of an extensive Monitoring, Verification, and Accounting (MVA) program, shallow groundwater monitoring is being conducted to verify that project activities are protective of human health and the environment (Figure 2).Shallow regulatory compliance wells were installed in thin sandstone of the Pennsylvanian-age bedrock that was designated by the regulatory agency as the lowermost underground source of drinking water (USDW). Carbon dioxide (CO2) injection began at the IBDP site in November 2011 and terminated in November 2014 after 999,215 tonnes of CO2 had been injected into the Mt. Simon Sandstone