DEQ extends Boysen dumping comment period

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has joined other agencies in asking for an extension for public comments and public meetings regarding the proposed Aethon Energy Operating permit that would allow dumping of produced water and solids into Boysen Reservoir.

The letters, sent to the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) all ask for at least a 30 day extension on the comment period and most are asking for public meetings between the DEQ and Aethon Energy to answer some questions.

Others on board with the requested extension of the comment period include the Town of Thermopolis, Hot Springs County Commissioners, Trout Unlimited, Hot Springs County Conservation District, Wyoming Outdoor Council, Powder River Basin Resource Council and the Hot Springs County Farm Bureau Federation.

On Tuesday, the DEQ issued a 30-day public notice requesting comments on the permit and decided to hold two public meetings, one in Riverton at Central Wyoming College, and one in Thermopolis at the Auditorium on Tuesday, May 21 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

The comment period has been extended to the end of the business day on July 5.

According to the permit application, millions of gallons of tainted water, 8.27 million per day in fact, is slated to be dumped into Boysen Reservoir along with 2,161 tons of dissolved oilfield pollutants per month from the Moneta Divide oilfield if Aethon Energy is granted their permit.

The company is expanding to 4,250 wells between Shoshoni and Moneta, which is good for the oil industry, but their plan for dumping into our waterways is far from good.

These pollutants would go directly into Alkali and Badwater Creek as mixing zones before falling into Boysen. Allegedly, this will mix with the water in Boysen to dilute the pollution before its sent over the dam into the Wind River.

Thermopolis is the first populated area the water would hit.

To give you an idea of what this produced water contains, according to the Produced Water Society, most produced water is saltier than seawater. While removing salt is not difficult, it is usually very costly.

Oil and grease can be found including free oil, or large droplets that can be removed with gravity separation methods. Smaller droplets, called dispersed oil may be present and it is somewhat difficult to remove.

There could also be dissolved oils, hydrocabons and other, similar materials dissolved in the water stream and this is very challenging to eliminate.

Inorganic and organic toxic compounds may be introduced into the water as chemical additives used to improve drilling and production operations, or they may leach into the produced water from the rock formation or the hydrocarbon present.

Perhaps the scariest of all is known as NORM – Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material. Some hydrocarbon-bearing formations contain natural radiation that leaches into the water and that concentration of radiation varies with the formations being drilled into.

All produced water from wells has to go through various types of treatment before it can be disposed of or reused and there are many different technologies that can be used.

Aethon build the Neptune Water Treatment facility at its site in 2013, and at the time, was the most state-of-the-art facility available.

Produced water contains chemical equilibrium systems that shift with changes in temperature and pressure and cause reactions to occur. These reactions may result in mineral scales being formed, solid hydrocarbon deposition (paraffin formation) and changes in pH. 

Second, produced water does not normally contain oxygen. Some of its components are in a chemically reduced state and will react with oxygen if the water is allowed to contact air. This can result in deposits of iron compounds and elemental sulfur.

Produced water is considered an industrial waste, subject to standards defined and issued by the U.S. EPA.

There are alternatives to allowing the produced water and solids to flow into the reservoir and it is unknown if the company has reviewed those possible alternatives. In the U.S., most produced water (91 percent) is injected back underground.

Neither the town nor the county commissioners were advised by the DEQ that Aethon was planning such an expansion to their field, nor were they advised of a comment period by the division.

Produced water is considered an industrial waste, subject to standards defined and issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.