Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Environmental Justice
Possible environmental justice impacts during the operations phase include the alter-
ation of scenic quality in areas of traditional or cultural significance to minority
populations. Noise and health and safety impacts are also potential sources of dis-
proportionate impacts for minority or low-income populations.
Acoustics (Noise)
The main sources of noise during the operations phase would include compressor
and pumping stations, producing wells (including occasional flaring), and vehicle
traffic. Compressor stations produce noise levels ranging from 64 to 86 dBA at the
station and from 58 to 75 dBA at about 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) from the station. Use
of remote telemetry equipment would reduce daily traffic and associated noise levels
within the project area. The primary impacts from noise would be localized distur-
bances to wildlife, recreationists, and residents. Noise associated with cavitation is a
major concern for landowners, livestock, and wildlife.
Hazardous Materials and Waste Management
Industrial wastes are generated during routine operations (lubricating oils, hydraulic
fluids, coolants, solvents, and cleaning agents). These wastes are typically placed
in containers, characterized and labeled, possibly stored briefly, and transported
by a licensed hauler to an appropriate permitted offsite disposal facility as a stan-
dard practice. Impacts could result if these wastes are not properly handled and are
released to the environment. Environmental contamination could result from acci-
dental spills of herbicides or other chemicals. Chemicals in open pits used to store
wastes may pose a threat to wildlife and livestock.
Should geologic sequestration become common, a wide diversity of geologic
formations is likely to be encountered. Depending on the nature of the formation
targeted for injection, it may be necessary to increase the injectivity of carbon diox-
ide by using hydraulic fracturing. Hydraulic fracturing fluids can contain innocuous
constituents, such as sand and water, and potentially toxic substances, such as diesel
fuel (which contains benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene, xylenes, naphthalene, and other
chemicals), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), methanol, formaldehyde, eth-
ylene glycol, glycol ethers, hydrochloric acid, and sodium hydroxide. Because some
aspects of a hydraulic fracturing operation are considered proprietary, information
about the specific constituents used in a given hydrofracturing operation may not
be available, thus causing some concern over the risks presented by this practice.
Some of the hydrofracture fluids used to increase the injectivity of a carbon dioxide
injection well would probably be pumped out of the well and then be managed at the
surface in tanks of impoundments; however, some of the fluids would remain in the
underground formation. For example, in the process of producing hydrocarbons and
produced water, about 20 to 40% of the fluids used for hydrofracturing may remain
underground. Thus, should hydraulic fracturing be used in a carbon sequestration
injection well, these fluids could have an impact on underground water sources that
are close (horizontally or vertically) to the injection well.
