Produced Water Disposal in the Artesia Group of the Permian Basin - Feasibility and Effects on Future Water Supplies

The study presented in this talk was initiated by an application submitted to the New Mexico Oil Conservation Division (OCD) to replace an existing saltwater disposal well completed in the Seven Rivers Formation of the Artesia Group, and to significantly increase disposal volume. Concerns were raised by a nearby town and the OCD regarding the town’s existing and potential future water supplies, which over- and underlie the zone of proposed injection, respectively. Technical evaluations conducted to predict the fate of injected water include density-dependent groundwater flow and solute transport modeling, and analysis of historical water levels and pumping effects in the Capitan Reef aquifer, which underlies the Artesia Group. Analytical modeling was used to evaluate the most likely source of historical water level increases observed in the Capitan Reef aquifer, and to confirm other observations that indicate minimal hydraulic connection between the injection zone and adjacent aquifers. Although the application was denied and the decision was not appealed by the applicant, the proposed approach is technically feasible and may prove viable as additional data on confining unit thickness and possibly other factors are obtained.