Print this pageAbstract: Do Oil and 
Water
(Banking) Mix? Minimizing the Risk When Artificially Recharging
Groundwater in an Oil Producing Area
PIPES, WILLIAM, Geomatrix Consultants, Fresno, CA; JAMES WALDRON, Chevron USA Production Co., Bakersfield, CA
Water banking using infiltration basins has a number of technical criteria it must meet
for it to be a success - available water of sufficient quality, available land with little
or no institutional restrictions, clean permeable soils, groundwater at the right depth,
and little or no impact to nearby groundwater users. What do you do when all the technical
criteria have been satisfied and then discover contaminated soil in the area? Can the
environmental impact be managed such that the potential risk is minimized at a reasonable
cost and the water banking project allowed to go forward? The answer is a qualified yes,
given that the nature and extent of the contaminated soil, changes in groundwater
conditions due to water banking activities, and the potential affect on groundwater
quality are well understood and contingency measures are in place to address potential
water quality impacts should they occur. This paper presents a case study where
contaminated soil was discovered within a proposed water
banking project area and how the
potential risk from the impact was minimized at a reasonable cost and to the satisfaction
of the stakeholders.
AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90911©2000 AAPG Pacific Section and Western Region Society of Petroleum Engineers, Long Beach, California