Full Title: Potential Impact to Surface Water and Sediment from the Transport of Produced Water by Barge Along the Ohio River for Disposal in Class II Injection Wells
Author(s): Robert Rossi, Dominic DiGiulio
Publisher(s): Physicians, Scientists, and Engineers for Healthy Energy (PSE)
Publication Date: August 27, 2021
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Description (excerpt):
Produced water (i.e., oil and gas wastewater) from the Marcellus and Utica Formations in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia is currently transported by tanker truck, railroad, and pipeline transport. Anticipating cost savings, industry in the region is securing permits to transport produced water down the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio Rivers by barge.
To understand the potential impacts of transporting produced water by barge, PSE researchers conducted a review of peer-reviewed literature, government reports, and grey literature on the effects of produced water spills on surface waters and sediments, as well as produced water discharges on surface waters.
The objective of this project is to elucidate potential contaminant pathways to human and ecological receptors from transporting produced water by barge on the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio Rivers. Potential pathways for produced water to enter these rivers in this review include spills or a catastrophic release from barges and spills at loading and unloading facilities.