557 ILLINOIS GEOLOGICAL IL6of (\ 1989-3 SURVEY LIBRARY ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF OIL FIELD BRINES IN SOUTHEASTERN CLAY COUNTY, ILLINOIS Edited by; Bruce R. Kensel and Dennis P. McKenna with contributions by: J. Roger Adams (2)^ Allison R. Brigham^-^) Steven L. Burch(2) Billy K. Cook(2) Barbara R. Cline^^) Paul C. Heigold(\) Louis R. Iverson^-^) Douglas E. Laymon^-^) Edward A. Lisowski^-^) Vickie L. Poole (^-) Raman K. Raman (^) Edward C. Smith (1) John D. Steele(l) Christopher J. Stohr(l) Stephen Whitaker(^) Illinois State Geological Survey Champaign, Illinois OPEN FILE SERIES 1989-3 (^*^ Illinois State Geological Survey -^^lilinois State Water Survey (^H.llinois Natural History Survey ILLINOIS STATE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 3 3051 00006 9728 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF OIL FIELD BRINES IN SOUTHEASTERN CLAY COUNTY, ILLINOIS Edited by: Bruce R. Hensel and Dennis P. McKenna with contributions by: J. Roger Adams (2) ^ Allison R. Brighain(3) ^^y Steven L. Burch^^) \P ^, Billy K. Cook(2) (JC-' r^ Barbara R. Cline(l) .q"^ <^ Paul C. Heigold(l) o^ o^^^ ^ <^^ <^^^ Louis R. Iverson(3) _ Douglas E. Laymon^-^) ^v. Edward A. Lisowski^-^) ^'^ Vickie L. Poole(l) Raman K. Raman (2) Edward C. Smith (1) John D. Steele(l) Christopher J. Stohr^^) Stephen Whitaker^^) Illinois State Geological Survey Champaign, Illinois OPEN FILE SERIES 1989-3 (-'-) Illinois State Geological Survey (2) Illinois State Water Survey (^) Illinois Natural History Survey PART ONE OVERVIEW - EXECUTIVE SUMMARY . ABSTRACT Brine waters, characterized by high concentrations of dissolved minerals, can be found at depth throughout the oil producing region of Illinois. Because petroleum traps commonly contain both brines and petroleum, both liquids are commonly pumped to the surface. When brine waters are allowed to come in contact with the near-surface environment, degradation of that environment occurs. The results of an investigation of the environmental impacts of oil field brines in southeastern Clay County, Illinois are presented in this report. This investigation showed that: 1) Brine has been stored and disposed in 384 holding ponds in the study area. Spillage and leakage from these ponds has rendered hundreds of acres of farm land unsuitable for crops. 2) High erosion from unvegetated brine-damaged lands and high concentrations of dissolved minerals in that runoff have increased sedimentation and caused degradation of surface water quality. However, water from the stream investigated for this study still satisfies drinking water quality standards. 3) No evidence for wide-spread degradation of groundwater resources was found. Although groundwater in the vicinity of two filled-in brine holding ponds was highly contaminated Table of Contents page Abstract 4 Section 1. Project Overview and Conclusions 6 Section 2. Description of Study Area 24 Section 3. Assessment of Groundwater Quality 44 Section 4. Assessment of Surface Water Quality 59 Section 5. Effects of Oil Brines Upon Benthic Communities in Buck Creek 7 7 Section 6. Investigations at the Origin of Domestic Well Water Contamination by Saline Waters 93 Section 7. Reclamation at Oil Brine Holding Ponds 119 Section 8. Remote Sensing 173 Section 9. Case Studies of Brine Contamination from Holding Ponds 184 Section 10. Appendices 225 Appendix 2-A. Summary of Water Quality Data Estimated from Southeastern Clay County Electric Logs 226 Appendix 3 -A. Summary of Data from Water Well Driller's Logs for Southeastern Clay County . 231 Appendix 3-B. Results of Water Quality Reconnaissance in Southeastern Clay County. 238 Appendix 3-C. Regression Analysis - Well Depth and Proximity to Brine Holding Pond vs. Conductance 255 Appendix 4-A. Water Quality Data for Buck Creek 265 Appendix 5-A. Methods Used for Assessment of c^l Brines Impacts on Aquatic Biota 270 Appendix 5-B. Benthic Macroinvertebrate, Chloride, and Stream Order Data from Wabash River Watershed, 1976 and 1977 276 Table of Contents (continued) page Appendix 5-C. Benthic Macroinvertebrates (Except Diptera and Mollusca) Collected in Buck Creek 288 Appendix 6-A. Methods Used During Investigation of Origin of Domestic Well Contamination by Saline Waters 292 Appendix 9-A. Brief Description of Analytical Procedures Performed on Water Samples Taken at Case Study Sites and Domestic Wells in Southeastern Clay County 297 Appendix 9-B. Results of Chemical Analysis on Groundwater Samples Collected at Clay County Case Study Sites 299 SECTION 1 PROJECT OVERVIEW compiled by Bruce R. Hensel and Dennis P. McKenna INTRODUCTION The production of oil and gas has been a significant part of the economy of Illinois since the discovery of oil in the Illinois Basin in 1903. In 1984, the value of crude oil produced was approximately 83 million dollars, with ten counties in southeastern Illinois producing 70% of that total (Van Den Berg et al., 1986). Direct employment by oil companies and suppliers, as well as related service industries, is a major contributor to the economic well being of this region. Environmental problems from oil and gas production may occur during drilling, production, or disposal of associated wastes. If appropriate precautions are not taken, drilling fluids and muds, acids used to increase the permeability of reservoir rocks, and corrosion inhibitors and other additives are potential sources of contamination to soils, surface water, and ground-water (Collins, 1971) . Also, losses of crude oil to the environment can occur during production, storage, and transportation. However, the greatest potential for environmental damage comes from brine waters that are produced as a waste product with oil. Brines are naturally occurring fluids, with extremely high concentrations of total dissolved solids (> 100,000 ppm. Freeze and Cherry, 1979) , which are present throughout most of the stratigraphic column throughout the world. The composition of brine varies both areally and with depth. In general, the concentration of total dissolved solids, also referred to as salinity, increases with depth. Meents et al., (1952) analyzed hundreds of samples of brines from the oil reservoirs of the Illinois Basin and found high concentrations of chloride (up to 95,000 ppm and commonly exceeding 50,000 ppm), sodium (up to 50,000 ppm), calcium (up to 18,000 ppm) and magnesium (up to 3400 ppm) . Gas, oil, and brine waters are found in subsurface stratigraphic traps. Gas, which has the lowest density of the three fluids, will fill the pores near the top of the trap, oil is typically found immediately below the gas, and the dense brines occur below the oil and gas. Due to this close association of brines and hydrocarbons, it is common to encounter and produce both in an oil well. As oil and gas are removed, the pore spaces formerly occupied by the hydrocarbons are filled with water. Consequently, a well may initially produce mostly oil; however, with increasing time, the ratio of brine to oil will increase. The Illinois Environmental . Protection Agency (1978) has estimated that 973,000 barrels of brine are disposed of daily in Illinois. Brine waters, which are highly corrosive, may cause environmental problems during (Figure 1-1) : 1) oil well drilling, when brings mixed with drilling mud are brought to the surface; 2) oil production, when the potential exists for brine leakage from pipelines, oil-brine separation tank batteries, waterflood injection wells, and when the potential exists that reservoir pressures created by waterflood operations may force brine waters to upwell through possible vertical conduits such as unsealed, abandoned boreholes; and 3) disposal or storage, when seepage can occur from holding ponds (unlined holding ponds have been banned in Illinois) Disposal of brine waters has been a problem in Illinois since the early years of oil production when they were treated as an unwanted by-product and were commonly discharged directly into streams and drainage ditches. During the 1940's, injection well technology was developed. Still, the usual method of disposal involved pumping brine into a holding pond for evaporation. However, since the net precipitation rate in Illinois exceeds the evaporation rate (Roberts and Stall, 1967) , brines stored in these ponds were infiltrating to the subsurface rather than evaporating. By the 1950 's most brine was being disposed by injection (Bell, 1957); although many brine holding ponds continued to be operated until they were phased out from 1980-1985. Currently all oil field brines must be injected, or stored in corrosion resistant tanks until they can be injected. The environmental consequences of improper brine disposal can be severe. When allowed to mix with surface and groundwaters, the high salinity of brines can make these valuable resources unpotable. One barrel of brine with a chloride concentration of 50,000 mg/L will raise the chloride content of more than 150 barrels of deionized water above the maximum recommended concentration for drinking water (250 mg/L) . The environmental consequences of brine contamination in groundwater are especially severe because the residence time is much greater than in surface water and because chloride, the dominant ion other than hydrogen and oxygen, is conservative. When brine comes into contact with the soil, the excessive sodium causes colloidal particles to disaggregate, thereby destroying the soil structure (United States Salinity Laboratory, 1969) . Thus, the soil cannot support plant growth and is easily eroded, which adds to the impact of brines on surface water systems. An estimated 28,000 to 38,000 acres of land in Illinois have been severely damaged by oil field brines (Coleman and Crandal, 1981) 8 Figure 1-1 Potential routes for oil field related brine containination of the environment. None of these occur -ences are likely if proper oil drilling and brine disposal practices are used. A) Brine and mud returned to the surface during drilling are spilled on the ground surface, contaminating soils and shallow groundwater. B) Brine leakage from a separation tank. C) Brine infiltration from an unlined holding pond (such ponds are now banned; but were common prior to 1980) .