Challenges Facing Class II Disposal Well Operations in the Appalachian Basin
Monday, March 4, 2019: 3:30 p.m.
Tom Tomastik, CPG
,
ALL Consulting, Galena, OH
J. Daniel Arthur, PE
,
ALL Consulting, LLC, Tulsa, OK
Class II disposal still remains the primary method for disposal of oilfield fluid wastes in the United States. The primary goal of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act and the Underground Injection Control Program to protect the deepest source of underground drinking water and to prevent soil and water contamination.
As a result continued development of oil and natural gas resources from the Marcellus and Utica shales in the Appalachian Basin, the demand for Class II disposal of oilfield fluid wastes has increased significantly. With a small number of Class II disposal wells in West Virginia and lack of primacy in Pennsylvania, only Ohio remains well situated to handle the increase in Class II saltwater disposal well activity in the Appalachian Basin area.
Challenges facing Class II disposal well operations in the Appalachian Basin can be overwhelming. These include: Properly siting disposal wells; ensuring groundwater protection; addressing public and local political opposition; finding geologic formations capable for high capacity disposal operations; developing proper well construction, cementing, and completion methods; selecting the right option for surface facility development and pre-treatment programs; dealing with NORM/TENORM testing and solid waste disposal issues; and developing seismic monitoring and mitigation plans and addressing differing regulatory requirements.
Properly considering of all these challenges will lead to successfully permitting, drilling, constructing, completing, and operating Class II disposal wells in the Appalachian Basin.
Tom Tomastik, CPG, ALL Consulting, Galena, OH
Tom Tomastik received his BS and MS degrees in geology from Ohio University in 1979 and 1981. From 1982 to 1988, Mr. Tomastik was employed as a consulting geologist involved in oil and gas exploration and development in southeastern Ohio. From December of 1988 until August of 2014, Tom was employed by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Oil and Gas Resources Management, UIC Section. Tom retired from the Division in August of 2014. He was responsible for all of the Underground Injection Control (UIC) duties, which include performing independent reviews of applications for Class II saltwater injection, secondary and enhanced recovery projects, and Class III salt-solution mining wells in Ohio. Tom also planned and implemented highly complex groundwater conflict investigations involving oil and gas investigations. He provided technical expertise to the general public, oil and gas industry, governmental agencies and officials regarding Federal and State regulations, oil and gas and injection well construction, well operations, and groundwater contamination and stray gas investigations. He has authored or co-authored articles on various aspects of Ohio’s oil and gas industry, groundwater investigations, injection wells, solution mining, and geology. Tom is currently employed as a Senior Geologist and Regulatory Specialist with ALL Consulting of Tulsa, Oklahoma and is involved in injection well evaluation, permitting, and oversight, stray gas investigations, groundwater complaint investigations, water sourcing, induced seismicity and seismicity monitoring.
J. Daniel Arthur, PE, ALL Consulting, LLC, Tulsa, OK
Dan Arthur is the Managing Partner of ALL Consulting (www.all-llc.com). Mr. Arthur earned his Bachelor’s degree in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla. He is a recognized authority on environmental issues pertaining to unconventional resource development and production. Mr. Arthur has served or is currently serving as the lead researcher on several significant projects involving unconventional resources; environmental considerations of shale gas development; produced water management and recycling, as well as research with the Ground Water Protection Research Foundation (GWPRF) involving analysis of produced water management alternatives and beneficial uses of coal bed methane produced water.
