Studying the interaction of oil and gas production with groundwater resources |
For every barrel of oil produced in California, ten barrels of saline water are co-produced. Much of this water is disposed of in Class II wastewater injection wells, which are required to place water in saline aquifers or hydrocarbon-bearing reservoirs isolated from usable groundwater.
The Water Resources Group uses archived oil and gas well log records from the California Geologic Energy Management Division to help understand possible migration pathways between these injections zones and usable water. This consists of understanding the tempo and distribution of wastewater injection across the state, mapping fresh and saline water in the subsurface to determine the depth to base of protected water, documenting changes in water chemistry that are due to wastewater injection and enhanced oil recovery, and identifying well integrity issues that could allow vertical transmission of fluids. We are funded by the California Oil, Gas, and Groundwater (COGG) Program in the California Water Science Center. You can find more information here. See the October 2016 press release from Sacramento State here. |