Seepage from Oilfield Brine Disposal Ponds in Utah

Abstract

ABSTRACTSignificant amounts of brine produced in conjunction with oil well operations in the Greater Altamont‐Bluebell field have been disposed of to surface impoundments. Mass balance calculations indicate that about 93% of this brine, a total of 4,430 acre‐feet (5·45 × 106 m3) over the ten‐year period studied, is lost through seepage, introducing a total salt load of 200 million pounds (90 × 106 kg) into the shallow aquifer system. Estimates of salt‐water plume movement indicate that potential adverse economic impacts on irrigators and other water users in the Duchesne River Valley could reach hundreds of thousands of dollars. Lining of disposal ponds and increased use of injection wells will reduce future contamination. A monitoring program should be set up to determine actual levels of contamination of domestic and agricultural water supplies.